Tuition increase.
The phrase sends shivers down the spines of cash-strapped college students everywhere. Yet, in Arizona, where in-state tuition costs $2,344, this slight increase could actually benefit students who already pay so little for their education.
President Peter Likins has recommended a tuition hike of $200 for in-state students and $500 for out-of-state students in an attempt to finance solutions to a host of problems plaguing UA.
The increase seems meager when UA students consider the scope of needs facing the university. From professors' salaries and teaching assistant (TA) salaries to improvements in advising and information technology, a tuition increase could have a direct impact on the quality of education UA students receive.
Likins' proposed tuition increase would provide an additional $6.6 million to next year's general fund. Arizona students should not object to an increase that could have substantial benefits.
Likins recommended to the Arizona Board of Regents that the tuition increase should be used to finance six crucial areas at the university: information technology, advising and mentoring programs, graduate teaching assistant (TA) support, faculty and staff salaries, financial aid, and debt service for academic buildings.
While each area needs attention, Likins' plan to pay for UA's construction debt is problematic. Nearly 25 percent of each student's tuition goes to repaying debts incurred by the university to build and maintain academic buildings.
This share of the financial burden is unfair. Student tuition should be used to pay for programs that directly effect students during their tenure at UA, not to finance another brick behemoth.
Alumni, private and corporate donations should finance academic buildings such as the Integrated Learning Center. The proceeds from Campaign Arizona's $1 billion goal seem like a logical source of money for construction projects.
The Arizona Students Association (ASA) lobbies state lawmakers for low tuition and increased financial aid. It maintains that low tuition keeps higher education available to a greater number of students.
However, Arizona universities should give as much consideration to quality as they do to quantity.
An increase of $200 is a modest price to pay for smaller class sizes, time with advisors and teaching from top-rated faculty.
According to the Arizona Constitution, state universities must be "as nearly free as possible." Governor Jane D. Hull's task force on higher education has interpreted this phrase to mean that in-state tuition must be in the lower third of all state public university systems.
Arizona's in-state tuition of $2,344 ranked 49th out of 50 comparable state universities.
Clearly, a tuition increase would improve UA students' education. If Likins uses the new money for professor and TA salaries, along with other programs that directly impact students, it will in fact be a good move for the university as a whole.
Staff Editorials represent the collaborative stance of the Wildcat Opinions Board.
