We featured a Sonoma State University story in which one of its students was forced to remove their cross at a campus event.

The reason is now apparent: The school wants to drain its scholars of their life’s blood.

What is the price of success? For Sonoma State University students, it might be $500 a year.

School administrators are considering imposing what they are calling an Academic Success fee on top of campus fees that are among the highest in the state university system.

Officials said the fee, which could be as much as $250 a semester, is needed to make up for a budget shortfall. Gov. Jerry Brown’s budget proposes an increase of $142 million for the 23-school system, but well below the $237 million the CSU board requested to meet enrollment demand.

Students say the fee is another burden at a time when rising expenses have made money tight.

At Sonoma State, the fee would be used to hire new teachers, increase classes that are highly in demand and help students graduate in four years, provost Andrew Rogerson said.

“It would be in response to the dip in state funding,” he said. “One hundred percent would be used for academics.”

Rogerson stressed that a decision has not yet been made on whether to impose the fee, and university officials are seeking student input on the proposal.

Students may have an opportunity to vote on the fee in a referendum, or the university could impose the fee unilaterally after consulting with student groups, Rogerson said.

The fee would take effect this fall.