The University’s Tuition Advisory Committee will be voting on a proposal for a 3.6 percent tuition increase. This proposed increase falls short of the UNC Board of Governors’ 6.5 percent maximum.
This proposed increase represents a small win for students, particularly since the proposal on the table comes from Jay Dawkins, student body president.
This proposal is a fair, practical approach that covers educational expenses and does not break students’ budgets. Still, a zero percent increase would be the best, particularly if it forced the University to cut back on wasteful spending.Dawkins said the proposal ends the trend of constant tuition increases against slowing household income.
Yet it also guarantees students a quality education, puts money into the departments that need it and returns the University’s service to North Carolina students.
Tuition has been increasing by an average of 9.2 percent per year since 1980, while family income has grown, on average, by only 4.2 percent per year over the same time period.
Furthermore, the tuition increase would raise a negligible amount of money – a drop in the bucket. Dawkins’ proposal highlighted the fact that the University’s revenue for 2007 totaled more than $1 billion, while the maximum 6.5 percent tuition increase would bring in about $6,664,000.
This really is a drop in the bucket – the tuition hike would raise about $6,664,000, which would account for about .64 percent of all university revenue. The administration cannot expect to constantly burden students with increased tuition bills when the increase only accounts for a small fraction of the budget.
The proposal is not perfect. Heather Cutchin, president of University Graduate Student Association, said she has heard some opposition to the proposed increase from some graduate students, particularly international students who have already received loans to pay for expenses.
Still, the fact that students have secured a reasonable compromise is a step forward. The 3.6 percent increase amounts to a $140 jump for in-state undergraduate and all graduate students and a $280 increase for out-of-state undergraduates.
Students don’t often win the financial battle. We need to turn this minor victory into a powerful voice on tuition increases.
