Sacramento State will once again consider a move from the flat fee rate for summer session courses to a self support system, according to an announcement made during Sac State President Alexander Gonzalez’s town hall budget meeting.

Instead of paying a flat rate that was originally projected in the 2008-10 course catalogue, students will now be able to pay per unit.

According to the College of Continuing Education’s 2010 summer session webpage, undergraduate students paid $274 per unit.

No resources will be made available for the 2011 summer session from the general fund for the upcoming 2011-12 academic school year. Also, 2011 summer enrollment will not be counted into the new school year.

The switch to self-support will use no funds from the upcoming fiscal school year, making enrollment for the 2011 summer session stay the same. This will in turn allow the 2011-12 fiscal funds to be applied only to the upcoming school year for courses and enrollment.

Taking the lead for the summer session will be the College of Continuing Education, as it will facilitate the summer session, much as it did in 2010.

With the new budget still being worked out and growing concerns of further cuts to education, Joseph F. Sheley, provost and vice president of academic affairs, said the CSU system extended this offer as a way of giving the campus’ flexibility with the numbers for the upcoming budget are being worked out.

“The chancellor’s office gave the campuses the option of offering a summer schedule on a self-support basis,” Sheley said. “Students will pay for courses on a course-by-course basis, as opposed to stateside support, mixed general funds and student tuition.”

If this option was not used, fiscal 2011-12 funds would have to be spread out over three terms: the summer session and fall and spring semesters. Under the proposal, all the funds can be focused on just the fall and spring semester for courses and enrollment figures.

Sheley said it is not a matter of how all this will impact resources, but rather the campus will have the ability to direct funding to where it is needed. He also said if the change were not to happen, circumstances on campus could become grim.

In his budget briefing to the campus community, Gonzalez said the 2011-12 fiscal operating budget for the entire CSU system is being projected at $2.2 billion. This is down 18 percent, a $500 million cut to the budget, and brings the operating cost to the same levels as the 1999-2000 fiscal year.

Alice Tom, dean of the College of Continuing Education, said the new system should be more welcoming for students wanting to take classes.

“We have yet to conduct a consumer survey to see if students like paying for summer session classes in either a lump sum or in a pay as you go system,” Tom said. “But what we hear from our other colleagues on other campus, that the per-unit fee is more friendly from the student perspective because the student can pay for what they need.”

As of right now, College of Continuing Education does not have full details concerning the cost of 2011 summer session for Sac State. Tom said the CSU chancellor’s website suggests the price per unit for campuses conducting a summer session be $315 per unit.

This is up 15 percent from last year’s price of $274 per unit, a jump to match the fee increase passed by the CSU Board of Trustees back in November 2010.

For some students, the new pricing system will not be the sole attraction. Josh Alvarez-Mapp, junior social science major, said he needs to take into account several variables before he will commit his summer to extra learning.

“Generally whenever I consider going to summer school, I base my decision on how badly do I want to finish school on time,” Alvarez-Mapp said. “Sometimes my decision will also include if I have to retake a class to get a better grade. But most importantly, I look at my finances to determine where I am and if I can afford to go to summer school.”

With the summer session program returning to the College of Continuing Education after 10 years of being under general campus control, Tom said her department will take up the call for action and aid all those wishing to take classes.

“The College of Continuing Education is here to support student matriculation and student completion to graduation,” she said, “because if our help with the summer session helps students get closure to graduation in a more timely way, then that is good for everyone.”

Matt Harrington can be reached at [email protected]