College President Urges Wait on 2-Tier Fees The president of Santa Monica College urged trustees on Friday to postpone a new fee plan that would quadruple the cost of some classes, days after a campus protest in which students were pepper-sprayed. In a resolution obtained by The Associated Press, President Chui Tsang asks the board of trustees to put the plan on hold, at least for the summer, and allow more time to get public comment on its pros and cons. His request to the board also hints at the college funding woes that prompted it. "I must warn that this postponement in no way addresses the state funding crisis and the lack of seats for our students to progress in a timely way," the resolution states. Trustees, who approved the two-tier fee scale last month, were expected to discuss the plan Friday in emergency session. Students called for a referendum on the measure, and California Community Colleges Chancellor Jack Scott asked Tsang to put the plan on hold, expressing concerns about its legality. The school has said its lawyers have concluded the plan is legal. On Tuesday night, dozens of students were pepper-sprayed by police as they tried to push their way into a trustees meeting. There was a heavy police presence at the building where Friday's meeting was being held. Several dozen people waited in line to get inside but there was no violence. Students at the college have struggled to complete their degrees in recent years as budget cuts have resulted in fewer classes. About 1,100 classes out of 7,430 have been slashed since 2008 at the Santa Monica campus. Under the two-tier plan, a nonprofit foundation would be formed to offer courses for about $600 each, or about $200 per unit. The extra courses at the higher rate would help students who were not able to get into the full, in-demand classes. California community college budgets have seen more than $800 million in cuts over the past three years, causing them to turn away about 200,000 students and drastically cut course offerings. The Santa Monica school has an enrollment of roughly 30,000 students. Other campuses may be watching what happens with Santa Monica's program very closely. Several colleges also have inquired about starting similar programs. An Assembly bill last year would have allowed the higher-fee programs, but it did not pass. Fourteen colleges and college districts supported the measure.