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Printer-Friendly ModeTuition increase justified; reasons need explanation
July 19, 2005 —
Just like last year, and the year before that, and the year before that and so on, our tuition is the state's lowest. Every year, tuition goes up, but we hear the same old story: it's okay, because we still don't pay as much as anyone else. Unfortunately, that line is starting to wear thin with most students.
Most students here do not care whether or not freshman at Central Michigan will see a 19 percent tuition increase or whether schools comparable to SVSU, such as Michigan Tech and Grand Valley State, had tuition increases essentially equal to ours. Most students do care, however, that our tuition continues to go up. And that is really all that matters. What students do not know, however, is why it continues to go up. And that is the problem.
Sure, nobody likes rising tuition. But our tuition is rising for us.
Lost in all the complaints about rising tuition is the fact that in this year's approved budget, 13 new faculty members have been hired and spending on scholarships and financial aid has risen 17 percent. The money we students are spending on our tuition is being reinserted right back into what makes SVSU so attractive, like low class sizes. The average class size at SVSU is 24 students. No other state university here in Michigan can say that. But SVSU can.
It comes at a price, though. If we want lower class sizes and more help in paying our tuition, the student body as a whole is going to have to cough up a little bit more money. While this is a university that's sole reason for existence is education, it is also a business. If money is to be spent on the features mentioned above, that money is going to have to come from somewhere. We cannot spend more money than we have.
Also lost amid the complaints is the typical "why do they keep making us pay more for things like construction projects?"
Simple answer: Student tuition is not going towards these things. Tuition payments and money from the state government go towards the University's general fund, which pays for salaries, scholarships, financial aid, etc. The construction projects outlined on Page 8 of this issue are paid for through the auxiliary budget, completely separate from the general fund. It is important for students to know that their tuition is not going towards this budget.
And hey, while we're at it, let's give some props to our administration for assembing a budget in the first place. While still waiting on the state government to pass its budget, we got ours done. We should feel lucky that our tuition didn't increase more than it did; state funds continue to go down, yet our tuition is not actually increasing that much.
It is about time the student population as a whole begins to realize what exactly their tuition money is going towards.
While the fact that our tuition rate is still the lowest in the state may not be enough to keep complaints down anymore, what the money is being spent on should be. We are going to have to give a little to receive a little for the betterment of our students as a whole.
It should not be something to complain about.