California’s state government is broke. One of the places hardest hit by the resulting budget cuts is the University of California system, which has killed courses, laid people off, and increased tuition by 32% this year. (Meanwhile, Democratic Governor Jerry Brown, like Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger before him, has been good to the prison industry, which has overtaken higher education in public spending.)

So UC students are getting creative. At UC Santa Cruz, the upcoming campus election includes Measure 48, which would tack on what amounts to a $20 annual fee that would make the school more ADA-compliant. Here’s the ballot summary:

Shall a permanent Universal Access Fee of $5.00 per quarter be assessed to all undergraduate and graduate students, effective Fall 2011, to provide funds to enhance functionality in student-fee buildings, expand transportation options, and improve equal accessibility and academic opportunities for all students and guests, especially those who currently have difficulties accessing programs or services on campus?

Well-meaning measure authors Beth Diesch and Jeremiah Jimeno figured out that the $5 per quarter would raise about $250,000 per year for accessibility improvements. But legally, shouldn’t state and federal governments be covering these costs, rather than continuing to charge students more money? (Next year, tuition will increase by another 8%.)

This kind of thing just lets the politicians off the hook, shifting responsibility for paying for the ADA and public education away from a government that, among other things, continues to grow a wasteful defense budget that has almost doubled in the past 10 years.

Measure 48: Universal Access Fee

Ballot Type
Establishing a New Fee

Ballot Author
Beth Diesch and Jeremiah Jimeno

QUESTION:
Shall a permanent Universal Access Fee of $5.00 per quarter be assessed to all undergraduate and graduate students, effective Fall 2011, to provide funds to enhance functionality in student-fee buildings, expand transportation options, and improve equal accessibility and academic opportunities for all students and guests, especially those who currently have difficulties accessing programs or services on campus?

SUMMARY POINTS:
New undergraduate and graduate compulsory fee of $5.00 per quarter. Fee begins Fall 2011 and is a permanent fee with no ending date (see the Conditional Sunset Clause). Fee will be assessed to all undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in the Fall, Winter, and Spring quarters. The fee will not be assessed during summer session. Fee will generate approximately $244,980 in the academic year 2011-2012*, the first year it is in effect. This fee includes a 33% Return-to-Aid component in which 33% of all fees collected will automatically go to financial aid to help those students who are on financial aid cover the expense of the fee. This will be approximately $80,843 per year. The Student Fee Advisory Committee endorses this measure. Fee is sponsored for placement on the ballot for undergraduate students by resolution of the Student Union Assembly and by approval of the Dean of Graduate Studies for graduate students Student Consultation: Student opinions and suggestions regarding the language and spirit of this referendum have been gathered through a survey distributed through the Disability Resource Center over the course of a two-month period in 2011. Open-ended questions included opinions as to the locations on campus that were difficult to access as well as ways in which student facilities and programs could be enhanced to benefit all students in the UCSC community.
*Three quarter enrollment estimate is based on the average 2009-2010 quarterly enrollment of 14,888 (undergraduate) and 1,444 (graduate).

BALLOT STATEMENT
The campus currently provides funding for accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act in a number of ways, both people with both permanent and temporary disabilities. The Disability Resource Center (DRC) currently receives an annual allocation of $158,291 to provide students with academic and programmatic accommodations. The funding is primarily used to provide interpreting/captioning services for students with hearing impairments, adaptive equipment or software, alternate media or transcription services (such as audio books or Braille translation of class materials), and note takers, proofreaders, readers and scribes for students with hearing, visual or learning disabilities. Due to variability in the number of individuals requiring accommodations from year-to-year and the types of services needed, expenses may be more or less than the annual allocation. Any unused funds carry forward to the next academic year.

The $5.00 fee will provide additional funding to be spent at the discretion of the ADA Compliance Officer (or equivalent position) and the Director of the DRC for the purpose of enhancing student fee funded facilities, expanding transportation options, increasing support services, and any other program or facilities support as needed to improve accessibility. The income generated by this fee will supplement the existing campus resources (not replace them) in order to enhance accessibility.

The Universal Access Fee will cover one-time expenses for student-fee funded facilities to enhance accessibility at UCSC, and also provide ongoing funding to make student-initiated and/or student-funded programs more accessible. Funds remaining at the end of each academic year are to be kept in reserve and distributed the following school year.

The ADA Compliance Officer (or equivalent position) will work with the Director of the DRC and an advisory committee of no fewer than three students from the DRC and two student volunteers from the general campus (one undergraduate identified through the Student Union Assembly’s Student Committee on Committees and one graduate student through the Graduate Student Association) to provide guidance on spending the funds. These five individuals will meet at least once per academic year to review how referendum monies are spent and to recommend to the ADA Compliance Officer (or equivalent position) and DRC Director options for prioritizing fund allocation for the upcoming year.

This $5.00 fee can provide funding for (but not limited to) the following: Enhancements to student-fee funded buildings (e.g. Power-assist door openers, wheelchair ramps and lifts, etc.) Programmatic access to student-initiated or student-funded programs, such as captioning or sign language interpreters for students and guest speakers.

The funds should be distributed with the sole purpose of improving access to facilities and programs for all students within the UCSC community and guests of UCSC.

CONDITIONAL SUNSET CLAUSE
In the event that the year-end balance exceeds a total of $80,000 in a fiscal year, the Universal Access Fee will not be collected until the fall quarter following the year in which the carry-forward balance drops below $80,000.

Endorsements:
College Ten Senate
Merrill Student Government
Stevenson Student Council
Student Media Council
TWANAS

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