SF State News {University Communications}

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Student Fees and Student Voices

Note: the following e-mail was sent on 2/7/12 to all faculty and staff from President Robert A. Corrigan

 

Dear Colleague:

 

As the spring semester gets under way, I would like to thank all of you for the work that you have done in recent weeks to help our students get the courses they need to make progress toward graduation.

 

We have all seen the impact of state budget cuts, but perhaps no group has been harder hit than our students. As you recall, the Board of Trustees recently adopted an additional nine percent fee increase, to take effect next fall. At the same time, Chancellor Reed assured us that if the CSU’s 2012-2013 budget request of $333 million was funded, the nine percent tuition fee increase would be rescinded.

 

Unfortunately, Governor Brown announced last month that he is not supporting the CSU’s funding request. Instead, he proposed a budget that makes this year’s $750 million cut permanent and includes an additional $200 million cut to the CSU that will be triggered if new tax measures are not approved next fall.

 

In response to these events, in December I invited students to share their stories with me so that we in turn could share them with our elected officials. The student response has been tremendous – so much so that we have launched the Student Voices website to collect more of these personal messages and make them available to a broader audience. With so much at stake in the coming months and with students struggling with ever growing financial challenges, this is a crucial time to communicate the very personal, human impact of budget decisions.

 

This effort is now growing beyond the campus. Our Student Voices project is collaborating with Associated Students, Inc. (ASI) and the California State Student Association (CSSA) on a statewide The Buck Starts Here campaign to bring student messages to legislators. The campaign will be launched at SF State on February 13 and will culminate on the March 5th day of action in Sacramento.

 

Our strength is in our numbers, and I urge you to join this effort by encouraging your students to add their stories to the more than 300 that have been submitted. Please visit the website and read the thoughtful and moving student statements posted there. Once you do, I suspect that you will want to share them with others as well.

 

We are working hard to help key decision makers understand what we already know – that the future of our state depends on the success of our students. Please follow the link below to learn more about Student Voices – and advocate with your students.

 

Student Voices (http://www.sfsu.edu/voices)

 

Sincerely yours,

 

Robert A. Corrigan, president

 

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