Associated Students, Inc. (ASI) Board of Directors approved a resolution in opposition of the Cal Poly Opportunity Fee (CPOF) Wednesday night.
The resolution stated that the ASI Board does not support the CPOF or the allocation of income gathered from the fee to the Cal Poly General Fund and the California State University Chancellor’s office. The CPOF would consist of a fee increase for out-of-state students starting Fall 2018. This fee would partially fund the Cal Poly Opportunity Grant (CPOG) for low-income, in-state students.
Board representative for College of Science and Mathematics Mitchell Collins, who was originally an author of the resolution, voted against it after changes were made to the original resolution.
“I didn’t disagree with the content of the resolution, which was against the fee which I agree with,” Collins said. “I felt that with the removal of any clause supporting the idea of the grant or the general commitment to low income students, [I could no longer support it.]”
Board representative for College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences Sergio Dimas voted in favor of the resolution, calling on what he heard from his constituents and the Cal Poly community.
“[The fee] is tying diversity and low income together, and as a result, when you saw a student with a diverse background, you might initially tie them with that low income,” Dimas said. “I thought it was not worth the risk to endorse this fee increase.”
Dimas does not see this as the end of the conversation about the CPOF and the CPOG.
“I think the opportunity grant on its own should exist in a capacity,” Dimas said. “I think the big disagreement on the campus is the fee associated with it.”
Collins echoed those hopes for a continuing dialogue on campus.
“I just want to make sure that that conversation continues, and that we continue to think of solutions for a serious problem at Cal Poly,” Collins said.
Correction: A previous version of the story stated that there would be a tuition hike for out-of-state students starting Fall 2018. It has been changed to state that out-of-state students will have a fee increase.
Update: This story has been updated to include ASI Board of Director’s stance on fund allocation, if the fee increase is implemented.