Responses To The Crisis Facing California Higher Education:
Support For A Vigorous, Extended, Reformed, And Student-Centered Program Of Student Financial Aid For All Students
Attending The California State University

AS-2152-93/GA - May 6-7, 1993

WHEREAS, A candid and realistic appraisal of the evidence at hand requires the conclusion that California's commitment to generous support for a high quality higher education has been substantially lost and will not be recovered in the reasonably foreseeable future; and

WHEREAS, Without a significant enhancement of the revenues received from students, either the qualify of instruction in the California State University will be unacceptably reduced, or access will be artificially and unacceptably reduced as professors are laid off and classes are canceled due to budget reductions; and

WHEREAS, The Trustees of The California State University have responded to this new policy environment by adopting on March 17,1993, a policy entitled "Quality and Affordability: Policies for Pricing and Strategies for Paying;" and

WHEREAS, As part of its broader policy statement, "Quality and Affordability: Policies for Pricing and Strategies for Paying" the Board of Trustees of The California State University (CSC) included a section on "Principles for a Program of Student Financial Aid;" and

WHEREAS, The listing of principles for a program of student financial aid found in the CSC Trustee's policy statement "Quality and Affordability: Policies for Pricing and Strategies for Paying," includes:

• Establish Institutional Commitment to Student Grant Aid that would involve providing a portion of fee revenues to augment the State University Grant program; providing grants to offset the fee increase according to a student's family financial position; combining grants and loans to ration limited funds and to "package" aid in accordance with CSU's mission; and assigning priority to first-time freshmen and upper division community college transfers; and

WHEREAS, The listing of principles for a program of student financial aid found in the CSU Trustee's policy statement, "Quality and Affordability: Policies for Pricing and Strategies for Paying," further includes:

• Reform the State Program of Student Aid to be More Responsive to Student Need, and
• Seek Adequate Funding and Full Eligibility for CSU Students from Federal Programs of Student Aid; and

WHEREAS, The listing of principles for a program of student financial aid found in the CSU Trustees' policy statement, "Quality and Affordability: Policies for Pricing and Strategies for Paying," also appropriately includes reference to Federal and State Student Loan Programs, and to Deferred Payment Programs whereby students spread fee payments across their term of study; and

WHEREAS, Not found in the listing of principles for a program of student financial aid found in the CSU Trustees' policy statement, "Quality and Affordability: Policies for Pricing and Strategies for Paying," is any reference to needs for financial assistance that graduate students may have; and

WHEREAS, Persons trained at the graduate level are urgently needed in industries of the future, and in the civic, social, and cultural institutions that will help to create and define the conditions for satisfying lives in the future; and

WHEREAS, The criterion of assigning priority in the awarding of State University Grants (SUG) to first-time freshmen and upper division community college transfers will substantially reduce the SUG awarded to continuing students in the event that there are insufficient resources to fully fund the SUGs for all eligible students; therefore be it

RESOLVED, That the Academic Senate of the California State University endorse the general principles for a program of student financial aid found in the CSU Trustees' policy statement, "Quality and Affordability: Policies for Pricing and Strategies for Paying," but only with the proviso that they be revised to explicitly include appropriate programs of financial aid for graduate students; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Academic Senate CSU urge that financial considerations be the only criterion used to determine eligibility of academically qualified students for a State University Grant such that if there are insufficient funds to meet the needs of all eligible students, reductions be based upon relative financial strength and not on any other criteria such as a student's class level or transfer status.

APPROVED WITHOUT DISSENT -- May 6, 1993