Associated Students Inc. President Christina Romero is looking at available options to recreate student only parking for Sacramento State parking structures ll and lll. The structures are located East and South of the University Union and are now open to faculty.

Romero said student parking permits cost more than faculty parking permits. The parking structures were built with fees earned from both students and faculty, but mostly students, she said.

“It’s only right and reasonable that they are student parking only,” Romero said.

She said student parking permits cost $108 compared to faculty permits which cost $63.89

The California Faculty Association increased its parking access during contract negotiations with the California State University and the Chancellor’s Office in Spring of 2007.

Because of this, Romero said, Sac State administrators have no official power with faculty parking access.

Romero has drawn up “student parking only” legislation, which she will present to all 23 California State Universities in hopes of gaining their support.

“If Associated Students on each CSU campus pass similar legislation then that’s more powerful than one ASI passing legislation,” Romero said.

The legislation asks the California State University Chancellor’s office to work with the CFA and go back to the negotiating table, Romero said.

All 23 CSU campus representatives will meet at their next monthly meeting on Nov. 9 at CSU Northridge.

Romero also plans to ask Sac State administrators to support the legislation.

Romero said although there hasn’t been a lot of controversy yet, she believes ASI should take a proactive approach to prevent any future issues.

“It’s a matter of principle,” she added.

MBA Fee Increase

The CSU Board of Trustees has proposed a fee increase of $210 per unit for Master of Business Administration and other professional business graduate programs, Jensen Kile, graduate director said.

Kile and Secretary of State Affairs Roberto Torres said they are researching the issue.

MBA fees are currently $1,383 per semester for students who take 0-6 units and $2,100 for those who take seven or more.

With the new increase, fees are doubled for those who take six units or less, Kile said.

According to statistics from the Office of Institutional Research, only 32 percent of MBA students are full time.

Most MBA students are employees being sent back to school by their employers to earn a better a degree, Kile said.

Although businesses will sometimes pay for their employees to go back to school, they often only pay a portion of the total, he said.

After speaking with students, Kile said the consensus felt “their business would not be able to pay for the increase.”

The fee increase would also effect other CSUs.

“Some schools rejected the proposal while other schools asked for students to be more involved and receive more information,” Kile said. “They wanted more students to be interviewed (about the increase).”

Torres said they have sent mass e-mails to Sac State MBA students requesting their opinions on the matter.

“I had one student tell me they went to Sac State because it was cheaper,” Kile said. “They said if they had to pay double, they’d probably just save up their money and go to UC Davis business school where the name has some prestige.”

The increase could lead to better faculty for MBA programs and could be a factor in Sac State’s MBA accreditation, Torres said.

Business schools that aren’t accredited are less impressive to employers, Kile said.

Kile and Torres said they are working on a resolution for the issue to take to the California State Student Association and then to the board of trustees.

Andres Perez can be reached at [email protected].