By Scott Andrew Schulz
Arizona Daily Wildcat
March 30, 1998

Putting money in the wrong places

To the Editor:

Well, well. I decided to go to the UA library this evening to search for information that might help me complete a Sociology project that has been nipping at my heels for attention. While I anxiously awaited the printout of a journal's call number, I read a gigantic notice over the printer warning that the UA's going to be charging 10 cents for each page printed, starting sometime after this spring.

I guess it doesn't surprise me all that much. It seems lately, the university is doing just about anything it can to squeeze another dime out of its student body. Look around, what aren't we being charged for these days? You'd think that for about $12,000 dollars a year in tuition and housing costs, you might be able to print a list of books in the library at no cost. But the library complains that it spends approximately $60,000 dollars a year in paper and toner costs. Well, that equals the tuition of about seven out-of-state students. I know I'm one of them and I'm guessing there might be six more out-of-state students in this university of 35,000. If that's the case, then the costs associated with printing library materials is covered. But, instead, this fall it seems we'll all be spending 10 cents a page to simply print out a list of books we need to find. Heck, you'd think they could find the books for us if we're going to have to pay this ridiculous tax.

It's not so much the cost that is the problem, it's the fact that college is becoming more and more a business. The university's got the money, it's just not putting it in the right place. We're pampering the athletes of this school and taxing the academic areas to pay for it.

I don't know, maybe it's all just an incentive to graduate in four years. That's simply unfortunate, because the majority of us love being a part of the UA community. Hopefully, the administration of this university will get its head on straight before it turns away the present and future of our institution.

Scott Andrew Schulz
Communications Sophomore