Spring Break
ASCSU battles with Penley - and wins
Vimal Patel
Issue date: 5/7/07 Section: News
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The CSU student listened as Sen. Andrew McElhany announced to about 15 Republican lawmakers that CSU wanted an amendment that would increase tuition by nearly half added to the state's spending bill.
"My first reaction was, 'this can't be right,'" Ragland said. "Something was wrong. There's no way it can be a 43 percent increase."
Ragland was there that late March day for an internship through the political science department. But he was also director of Legislative Affairs for Associated Students of CSU.
He switched hats and went to work. He called ASCSU's lobbyist. He then dialed President Jason Green. The student government decided it would take a stance against the increase.
The next day, Ragland skipped classes, put his life on hold and drove to Denver.
He had an amendment to battle.
Penley makes his move
The university wanted to close the so-called credit gap. CSU can only charge students for nine credits. Other Colorado colleges and universities are able to charge for up to 12.
This, CSU President Larry Penley said, was clearly unfair to CSU. And he was done talking.
He'd been talking for months, he would later write in an e-mail to students, but the funding inequities that plagued CSU persisted.
The amendment introduced by Sen. Bob Bacon, a Fort Collins Democrat, at the behest of Penley would have given the university an additional $34 million in spending authority. The increase, of course, would have been paid for by students.
The gap would have been filled in one shot, at the cost of about an extra $577 per semester for each in-state student - less than the initial 43 percent increase version, but still close at 37 percent.
The amendment was added to the Long Bill, the state's $17.8 billion spending bill.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Brett Heeney
posted 5/30/07 @ 2:34 PM MST
As an alumnus, it's a pleasure to see one more of Dr. Strayer's student doing an exceptional job. Sure, the school needs more money every fiscal year, just as people do for cost-of-living increases and such; it's the point of making small increases annually versus very large, very impacting, increases every 5 to 10 years. (Continued…)
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