No New Fees! Reject the proposed ATS Fee.
The Issue
Dear President de la Torre,
We demand that you deny the request of the IT department to charge SDSU students the newly proposed ATS fee. During a time or record inflation in housing, gas, and food it is highly unethical to charge students more for basic services that should already be provided by SDSU. The new fee will charge students up to $500 more per year ($2000 for a 4-year degree) and will hit the poorest students the hardest. The proposed ATS fee is also an incomprehensible laundry list of items that includes (legally obligated) E-waste recycling and Esports, and proposes even greater increases to the already bloated campus administration.
The CSU and SDSU have repeatedly shown that they have plenty of money to spend on executive salaries, new management, and expensive stadium projects. Meanwhile, we note that SDSU raked in millions of dollars in student applications fees, student parking permits ($28 million in one fiscal year!), and overpriced meal plans among other things.
Despite extreme pressure from IT, the CFAC voted 12 to 4 to recommend that you not implement this fee. The CFAC’s vote reflects the overwhelming student feedback in opposition to this fee. We demand that you respect this vote and the student voice and not request the implementation of this new fee.
What is this fee (supposedly) for?
SDSU is proposing a mandatory student fee starting Fall, 2022, to help fund “information technology, technology infrastructure, and sustainability initiatives”. The supposed purpose of the fee is to improve internet connectivity on campus, add new staff and administrative positions in the office of sustainability, improve paper and E-waste recycling programs, and create infrastructure and funding for Virtual Reality and Esports on campus
Do they really need the money?
SDSU is legally obligated to recycle E-waste already, and should they really be asking students to fund “Esports” when so many are in financial crisis? Asking students to fund even more administrative positions is outrageous when we have already seen an explosion of new managers across the CSU and SDSU. And if the University wants to subsidize transportation, why can’t it use the annual $28 MILLION in excess fees it collects from overcharging students for parking?
Do they really need YOUR money?
No, no they don’t. SDSU and the CSU has plenty of money. Here’s in a very incomplete list of their special resources and reckless spending:
- SDSU: recently pocketed over $7 million in non-refundable application fees ($70 per application and 103,000 applicants) in Fall 2021 alone.
- An audit in 2018 discovered that SDSU held over $28 million in surplus parking fees and fines at the end of the 2018 fiscal year.
- SDSU recently received $45 million for the naming rights to the new stadium.
- A California state audit found that the CSU has built a “reserve” exceeding $1.5 Billion dollars from overcharging students on tuition and fees.
- SDSU has massively expanded its management with gobs of Vice Presidents, Associate Vice Presidents and Directors making 6 figures plus benefits.
- Executive pay keeps skyrocketing. Before the Chancellor resigned, he was on track to receive 30% raise on his already huge salary. Double digit increases are the norm for campus Presidents and the Chancellor.
What did they (or ‘SDSU’) do with the other fees?
They administration says it will improve IT infrastructure and sustainability, but will they? In 2010, SDSU increased the student health fee doubling it from $85 to $150, generating ~$11.1 million per year.
- Before the increase, the Calpulli (student health) Center had 120 support staff and 30 managers; after the increase, 80 staff and 34 managers.
- Meanwhile, the budget for Student Affairs (incl. health center) dropped $20 million.
- Due to staffing losses, Student Health Services could not maintain its Urgent Care area.
And in 2014, the University implemented a “Student Success Fee” and created a new website. While this sounds nice, according to this website only 10% of the fee goes directly to supporting students in need, while the rest goes to a bunch of programs.
Tone deaf and out-of-touch administration
Asking students to pony up a new fee during a pandemic and an inflationary crisis of housing, gas, and food, while SDSU is building a $350 million Coliseum (football stadium) and top executives get housing allowances, is beyond tone deaf. They really live in an alternate reality.
- Student debt is at an ALL TIME HIGH in the US of $1.9 Trillion dollars and climbing. Poorer students must take out loans, which means that extra $2000 is really $4-5000 by the time the debt is paid off. (Debt you cannot discharge except if you die.)
- San Diego is the most expensive city to live in in the entire nation.
- The Boomer managers wanting more of your money went to California colleges basically for free back in the day. They now have 6 figure salaries with benefits, live in houses valued at over a million dollars, and drive $50,000 cars to work.
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The Issue
Dear President de la Torre,
We demand that you deny the request of the IT department to charge SDSU students the newly proposed ATS fee. During a time or record inflation in housing, gas, and food it is highly unethical to charge students more for basic services that should already be provided by SDSU. The new fee will charge students up to $500 more per year ($2000 for a 4-year degree) and will hit the poorest students the hardest. The proposed ATS fee is also an incomprehensible laundry list of items that includes (legally obligated) E-waste recycling and Esports, and proposes even greater increases to the already bloated campus administration.
The CSU and SDSU have repeatedly shown that they have plenty of money to spend on executive salaries, new management, and expensive stadium projects. Meanwhile, we note that SDSU raked in millions of dollars in student applications fees, student parking permits ($28 million in one fiscal year!), and overpriced meal plans among other things.
Despite extreme pressure from IT, the CFAC voted 12 to 4 to recommend that you not implement this fee. The CFAC’s vote reflects the overwhelming student feedback in opposition to this fee. We demand that you respect this vote and the student voice and not request the implementation of this new fee.
What is this fee (supposedly) for?
SDSU is proposing a mandatory student fee starting Fall, 2022, to help fund “information technology, technology infrastructure, and sustainability initiatives”. The supposed purpose of the fee is to improve internet connectivity on campus, add new staff and administrative positions in the office of sustainability, improve paper and E-waste recycling programs, and create infrastructure and funding for Virtual Reality and Esports on campus
Do they really need the money?
SDSU is legally obligated to recycle E-waste already, and should they really be asking students to fund “Esports” when so many are in financial crisis? Asking students to fund even more administrative positions is outrageous when we have already seen an explosion of new managers across the CSU and SDSU. And if the University wants to subsidize transportation, why can’t it use the annual $28 MILLION in excess fees it collects from overcharging students for parking?
Do they really need YOUR money?
No, no they don’t. SDSU and the CSU has plenty of money. Here’s in a very incomplete list of their special resources and reckless spending:
- SDSU: recently pocketed over $7 million in non-refundable application fees ($70 per application and 103,000 applicants) in Fall 2021 alone.
- An audit in 2018 discovered that SDSU held over $28 million in surplus parking fees and fines at the end of the 2018 fiscal year.
- SDSU recently received $45 million for the naming rights to the new stadium.
- A California state audit found that the CSU has built a “reserve” exceeding $1.5 Billion dollars from overcharging students on tuition and fees.
- SDSU has massively expanded its management with gobs of Vice Presidents, Associate Vice Presidents and Directors making 6 figures plus benefits.
- Executive pay keeps skyrocketing. Before the Chancellor resigned, he was on track to receive 30% raise on his already huge salary. Double digit increases are the norm for campus Presidents and the Chancellor.
What did they (or ‘SDSU’) do with the other fees?
They administration says it will improve IT infrastructure and sustainability, but will they? In 2010, SDSU increased the student health fee doubling it from $85 to $150, generating ~$11.1 million per year.
- Before the increase, the Calpulli (student health) Center had 120 support staff and 30 managers; after the increase, 80 staff and 34 managers.
- Meanwhile, the budget for Student Affairs (incl. health center) dropped $20 million.
- Due to staffing losses, Student Health Services could not maintain its Urgent Care area.
And in 2014, the University implemented a “Student Success Fee” and created a new website. While this sounds nice, according to this website only 10% of the fee goes directly to supporting students in need, while the rest goes to a bunch of programs.
Tone deaf and out-of-touch administration
Asking students to pony up a new fee during a pandemic and an inflationary crisis of housing, gas, and food, while SDSU is building a $350 million Coliseum (football stadium) and top executives get housing allowances, is beyond tone deaf. They really live in an alternate reality.
- Student debt is at an ALL TIME HIGH in the US of $1.9 Trillion dollars and climbing. Poorer students must take out loans, which means that extra $2000 is really $4-5000 by the time the debt is paid off. (Debt you cannot discharge except if you die.)
- San Diego is the most expensive city to live in in the entire nation.
- The Boomer managers wanting more of your money went to California colleges basically for free back in the day. They now have 6 figure salaries with benefits, live in houses valued at over a million dollars, and drive $50,000 cars to work.
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Petition created on March 25, 2022