Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis Hosts Roundtable with Students about CSU Recent Proposal to Increase Tuition

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, July 28, 2023

CONTACT: press@ltg.ca.gov (916) 445-8994

Los Angeles – This morning, Lieutenant Governor Kounalakis joined student leaders at California State University Los Angeles for a roundtable discussion on the California State University system’s proposal to increase tuition by 6% annually for the next five years. The proposal would represent a 33% increase in annual tuition for in-state students over five years.

“The CSU has changed the lives of millions of families like mine by giving students a shot at an affordable four-year degree. Increasing tuition by more than 30% puts this dream at risk,” said Lieutenant Governor Kounalakis. “I heard loud and clear from students today that increasing tuition when so many are already struggling could mean the difference between students being able to finish their degree or having to drop out.”

Lieutenant Governor Kounalakis was joined by student leaders from Cal Poly Pomona, CSU-Dominguez Hills, Cal State LA, CSU-Northridge, CSU-Long Beach, and leadership from the California State Student Association (CSSA).

“The California State Student Association stands strongly against the proposed tuition increase because we cannot overlook the financial hardships many of our fellow students endure,” said CSSA President Dominic Quan Treseler. “For some, the struggle to cover tuition fees, living expenses, and educational costs is a daily reality. Nearly 50,000 CSU students are homeless, and 1 in 5 are struggling to eat. Raising tuition would disproportionately impact those already vulnerable, pushing them further from the transformative effects a degree from the CSU is meant to impart. The proposed tuition increase threatens to undermine this vision of the inclusive, thriving society California prides itself on being.”

Lieutenant Governor Kounalakis sits on all three governing boards of California’s public higher education system – the University of California, California Community Colleges, and California State University. The CSU Chancellor’s Office staff presented the tuition increase proposal as an informational item at the July Board of Trustees meeting. Lt. Governor Kounalakis raised concerns about the increase, and the impacts on already struggling students and families.