ASI Position on Proposed Student Health Center Fee Adjustment

On Thursday, November 30th, 2017, the Associated Students, Incorporated (ASI) took a stance of "No Position" on the Student Health Center's Proposed Fee Increase and Proposed Fee Index. ASI believes the services of the Student Health Center are important for student success, health, and wellness at Cal State LA. Although ASI agrees that the reported funding shortfall must be addressed in order to maintain and increase student health services, we believe that a transparent and meaningful consultation with a representative sample of the student body should have been initiated early on, when the deficit was first accounted for.

The sudden request to increase the Student Health Center fee from $82.50 to $132.50 per semester and to index the new fee to allow for annual incremental adjustments with just a two month window to gather student feedback via the Alternative Consultation process did not allow for an adequate amount of student input to be gathered and considered.

To date, the process has been devoid of sufficient student consultation, therefore placing students in a no-win situation. If the proposal is rejected by the University President, students will see a reduction in Student Health Center services. If the proposal is accepted, students will face a sizable fee hike following the tuition increase of Fall 2017 with another potential tuition increase looming next year.

Students should have been included in the discussion when the problem first arose. This would have allowed for alternative solutions to be proposed, such as introducing a gradual rise in the fee over the course of several years, instead of implementing such a large increase all at once.

For the reasons stated above, ASI has taken a position of "No Position" on the Student Health Center's Proposed Fee Increase and Proposed Fee Index.

Sincerely,

David Zitser
President
Associated Students, Incorporated
California State University, Los Angeles