Local
Student Sues After Paying Tuition Twice
By Ingrid Calderon
Aug 30, 2010 - 11:33:46 PM

SAN FRANCISCO —A 21-year-old communications major of San Francisco State University went into a small claims court on Friday, August 27, claiming she had been forced by university officials to pay twice for the fall 2009 semester.

Angela Yuen Uyeda had already paid $2,034 when she was notified via e-mail that she still owed the university $336. Uyeda paid the money that the university was claiming she owed because she did not want to lose her classes, but she filed an appeal with university officials.  After her appeal was rejected in July she decided to file a small claims suit.

Uyeda, like all students attending San Francisco State University, had already paid for her full-time tuition when the university increased the price by 20 percent and sent out a second bill to the students.

San Francisco News spoke to Jessica Bux, a business student at San Francisco State University on the recent tuition fee increase saying, “I believe everyone suffers from the tuition fee increase. Because I am an international student the fee % goes up. My tuition is a lot higher than local students. I pay around $8,000 per semester, that’s only for tuition fees.”

The decision to raise the tuition prices was made on July 21, 2009. Two weeks after the deadline to pay for fall registration, and two months later another 10 percent increase was implemented.

Small claims Commissioner Paul Slavit reported that the University did not owe Uyeda any money. The San Francisco court rejected the claim made by Uyeda on Monday August 30.  Commissioner Paul Slavit issued a written judgement and did not explain his decision.