Wednesday, July 16, 2003 - San Fernando Valley college students reacted Wednesday with a mix of disgust and resignation to approval of a 30 percent increase in fees throughout the California State University system and at least 25 percent for University of California students.

Trustees of both public university systems approved the hikes to deal with state cutbacks due to the massive budget deficit affecting the nation's largest public university system.

CSU undergraduate fees will rise $474 to a total of $2,046 a year. UC undergraduate fees will rise $960 to $4,794 and could rise by $90 more.

"What my parents are paying now is a lot for them, so I'm sure another $474 more is going to hurt," said Rosaleah Marcaraeg, 21, of Sylmar, an information major at California State University, Northridge. "But what else are they going to do to solve the deficit problems?"

"I think it's too much for CSUN students," said an angry Ankit Vachher, a 19-year-old finance major from Northridge. "Many of them have to work more than one job to pay for school and their books, and then you have to work hard (on your studies) so you can apply for scholarships."

Vachher works about 20 hours a week on campus during the school year and takes between 12 and 18 units a semester. He has a scholarship and lives with his parents, which saves on rent, but he said his books can cost more than $700 for one semester.

Cardine Castillo, 30, of Northridge, a 1998 graduate who was studying for the bar exam, said the increase will have an impact on her younger sister, Sona Kassardjian, 28, who is finishing a master's degree in English literature.

"As long as it's offset (with scholarships) to give opportunities to those who need it, the economically disadvantaged. ... But it's the middle class who will get hurt, the students who work, whose parents work," Castillo said.

CSUN President Jolene Koester said the fee hikes are painful but necessary.

"We are committed to maintaining the quality of the education here, and for an education to be meaningful, that quality must be protected," she said. "We are 100 percent committed to access for students for higher education, but access means not just access to the university, but access to classes.

"That's what the fee increase is all about."

The CSU increase was designed to deal with the slashing of the system's $2.6 billion budget. Altogether, the 23-campus, 408,000-student system is facing more than $300 million in cutbacks in the current year.

UC regents' 5-4 committee vote, expected to be confirmed by the full board today, came over the strong objections of students and a few regents who recommended finding another way to meet the shortfall.

"This is not fair," said Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante, who's also a regent. "In tough economic times, college should be more affordable, not less."

The committee gave UC President Richard C. Atkinson authority to raise fees another 5 percent if necessary.