May We Have Some More?

From the LA Times: As the pandemic throws the University of California into one of the worst financial crises it has ever collectively faced, top leaders at the majority of campuses say it’s time to consider a tuition increase for fall 2022. Chancellors and senior leaders at five of the nine UC undergraduate campuses told The Times that the staggering financial hit to their operations triggered by the coronavirus crisis and a $300.8-million proposed state budget cut this year have underscored the pressing need to open talks about tuition rates — which regents have increased just once for California students since 2011. The financial squeeze has prompted campuses to slash budgets, dig into reserves, borrow funds, substantially halt hiring — and, at UC Riverside, propose axing its athletic program, drawing hundreds of protest letters, emails and calls.

Last March, UC regents had been expected to vote on a proposed five-year plan to raise tuition and fees that would have begun this past fall. Under the proposal, tuition and fees would have increased by inflation plus 2% for new UC students and guarantee them that same tuition level for six years. The plan would have raised more financial aid, effectively lowering the cost of attendance for more than 100,000 needy students, and give both families and campuses financial predictability...

UC Board of Regents Chair John A. Pérez did not comment on whether he believed it was time to talk about tuition but said the issue has not been scheduled for a board discussion at this time. ...UC President Michael V. Drake has largely empowered campuses to come up with their own budget plans but directed them to preserve jobs as much as possible and ensure that higher-paid employees make bigger salary adjustments than lower-paid workers “in the spirit of equity and fairness.”

...At UCLA, Chancellor Gene Block was circumspect, saying tuition was an issue for regents to decide. Among UC campuses, UCLA has faced the biggest financial squeeze of $725 million. Some of the losses involved its medical operations, which have since rebounded; enrollment, philanthropy and research have all remained strong, said Gregg Goldman, chief financial officer. But UCLA took a $60-million cut in state funding and lost significant revenue by housing only 700 of 16,000 students who normally live on campus; daily meals are down to 1,000 from the usual 32,000. Block said the financial shock initially made him feel ill and a bit frightened, as he wondered whether UCLA could continue to deliver a quality education remotely and protect its employees from layoffs. But the campus was able to make ends meet through a hiring slowdown, voluntary separations, an internal loan and a longer winter break. UCLA also launched a program to retrain and reassign idled workers — redeploying food service workers to make meals for low-income families in partnership with the Venice Family Clinic, for instance. Those actions helped Block recently commit to no pandemic-related layoffs through next June.

“This is not inexpensive, but we just feel this is the right thing to do,” he said. “I think we’ll all get through it.” ...

Full story at https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-12-12/uc-chancellors-tuition-increase