by Cherryl F. Cercado
Editorial Assistant
Convening at the Pala Mesa Resort in Fallbrook, Calif., the University of La Verne’s Board of Trustees voted on Sunday in favor of a 3 percent increase in tuition, as well as a 3 percent increase in board services for the 1996-97 school year.
The Trustees also approved a 2.5 percent increase in salaries for faculty and a 1 percent increase in retirement benefits in hopes of lessening the gap in salaries with the national average.
Junior Scott Mac Kay, Associated Student Federation (ASF) Forum representative to the Board of Trustees, warned the Trustees that although a 3 percent increase in tuition is not much, the cost of tuition is quickly approaching a ceiling beyond which students will not be able to afford to pay.
“I urge you to remember in the future that an increase in tuition will lead to a decrease in the number of students,” said Mac Kay to the Board.
According to Adeline Cardenas-Clague, dean of enrollment services, the increase in tuition should not have a negative impact on the overall enrollment of students.
“Nobody reacts favorably to an increase in costs,” said Cardenas-Clague. “I do believe that, per individual, students will have to find other resources, such as summer funds and better management of work study money.”
Steve Grey, chief financial officer, said that the 3 percent tuition increase is “very close to the national rate of inflation, and depending on which survey you look at, it’s about 2-and-a-half to 3 percent.”
“Our costs are going up and I think we need to keep pace with the competition,” said Cardenas-Clague. “The costs of doing business are not remaining stagnant.”
The 3 percent increase in board services to students is the first in three years. Aramark, for the last three years, has been increasing its prices, which have been covered by the University.
“We could no longer absorb those costs,” said Dr. Loretta Rahmani, dean of student affairs. “Students need to understand that we’re not just raising their rates haphazardly.”
A conceptual change in the master plan was also approved, allowing the University to acquire a 15-acre plot of land south of Arrow Highway, to be used by the Athletic Department. The land will be leased for 99 years from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.
Plans to remodel the Kilo Building and relocate the Education Department were also finalized. The Natural Science Department will move to the space in the Mainiero Building vacated by the Education Department.
In other business, the Board of Trustees agreed to allow the Behavioral Science Department’s Psy.D. program, a doctoral program in clinical psychology, to begin by the fall of 1997.
The Board also elected Emmett Terrell, assistant superintendent of the Pomona Unified School District, and Ivan A. Houston, president and executive director of the Golden State Minority Foundation, to at-large positions on the Board. Bev Rupel (‘59) was also chosen to be a Trustee representing the Pacific Southwest District of the Church of the Brethren.
“They will bring a good dimension to our Board,” said Myrna Wheeler, second vice chair of the Board. “They bring skills and contacts that we wouldn’t have otherwise. They’re well qualified and I’m pleased with their appointments.”
Terrell looks forward to serving the University.
“I would hope by being involved as a coach and as a member of the Brother’s Forum, I’ll be able to bring to the table a different perspective and to prioritize student needs in order to move forward,” he said.
On Saturday, prior to the meeting, the Trustees had a chance to attend several breakout sessions which reacquainted them with the business of the University.
