Students in the California State University system are facing another fee increase for the 2009-10 school year.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s latest budget proposal calls for a permanent budget reduction for the CSU system of $66.3 million. To help cover the effects of that cut, CSU student fees are expected to increase by 10 percent starting in fall 2009. According to a CSU Chancellor’s Office press release titled “California State University Adopts Cost Saving Measures as Governor Proposes 2009-10 Budget,” this increase alone means that the entire CSU system will be taking in nearly an extra $130 million, according to a CSU Chancellor’s Office document titled “California State University Adopts Cost Saving Measures as Governor Proposes 2009-10 Budget.”

For undergraduates this means that the cost of attending Sacramento State next fall may draw eerily close to the $4,000 mark after years of steady increases.

It would be easy to rant and rave about how expensive the university system is, and how – in the country’s state of economic recession – it is unthinkable that there would be yet another increase in fees for higher education. But let’s take this from another view. Our school system is faltering, along with every other segment of society, which is why they need to squeeze someone for money. And however unfortunate the circumstance may be, increasing student fees is an easy way to raise money. Why? California’s state government is the single largest funding source for the CSU system at $2.97 billion. For the sake of having a diverse workforce in the future, our state government hands over a substantial amount of money to the CSU.

Fees from CSU students, who are trying to work their way up in society so they can have a high-paying career, are the second biggest funding source at $1.5 billion.

So, the CSU system can either beg the state for more money, which is not likely to work with the current budget crisis, or it can increase its fees, forcing students to either pay the extra cost or leave.

Essentially, we are left with two choices. One, pay the cost to get the education needed to land the ideal job. Or two, stop being formally educated and trudge our way through life, struggling to make up for our lack of a degree with years and years of work experience.

At least we are not alone in this struggle to keep our university system open. A salary freeze has been imposed on all CSU administrators at the vice president level and above, including campus presidents and the chancellor. And while simply not getting paid more is not really a sacrifice, at least we can be semi-sure that our money is being used to help our struggling campuses.

David Loret De Mola can be reached at [email protected]