In November the California State University (CSU) system approved a $105 fee increase for students in the spring and a total of $444 for the next year, equaling $222 per semester.

Students were alerted of the fee increases through notices on their portal.

Theresa Montaño, California Faculty Association (CFA) CSUN chapter president, has worked with her student interns to have them talk about the importance of education. She said it is important to mobilize the students.

Montaño said the main impact when it comes to the tuition increases is on the students and that while she can not speak for all professors, it matters to them because of their students.

“It may not impact professors directly but what impacts students, impacts us,” Montaño said. “When students are hurting and can’t pay tuition they can’t come to school and that’s not okay.”

Takashi Yagiasawa, philosophy department chair, said poor planning which caused budget cuts and raising tuition makes it hard for the department to plan.

“It makes it very difficult to strategize to improve education,” Yagiasawa said.

The department, along with many others, still want to help students in their time of need.

The philosophy department helps a lot with advisement because there is virtually no cost to the department.  The association (CFA) has opposed the wording from “fees” to “tuition.”

CFA president, Lillian Taiz, said in a letter that the wording does matter because using the word “tuition” shows that there is a shift in the way the leaders view the system.