Tuition hike ahead

Wildcat File Photo Arizona Daily Wildcat Regent John Munger

The regents entertained a tuition study session and 70 minutes of debate on student Regent Jennifer Reichelt's motion in support of the Arizona Students' Association, before voting 5-3 in favor of the three university presidents' proposal. UA Associated Students President Tara Taylor said the student lobby group felt betrayed.

"We thought we had five votes going into it," Taylor said. "(Regent John) Munger and (Regent Kay) McKay changed."

The tuition-increase approval, coupled with a corresponding $1 fee increase, raises University of Arizona resident tuition to $2,259 and out-of-state tuition to $9,411.

"We are disappointed because we really believed in the 2.8 percent," Taylor said.

The ASA proposal would have increased resident tuition $60 and out-of-state tuition $255.

The three presidents presented their proposal at a Nov. 5 statewide tuition hearing organized by the regents.

Regent John Munger, who voted for the approved increase at the meeting at Arizona State University in Tempe, said at the beginning of the discussion he would not vote for an increase of more than 1.8 percent unless the university presidents "can convince me they need more."

UA President Peter Likins defended the presidents' request. Likins presented a list of areas the UA needs additional funding for, including increased student advising, instructional and administrative technology replacement, faculty pay and additional research space.

"This is the beginning of the list," Likins said. "It is so overwhelming that when we raise the tuition $100 and $300, it doesn't even scratch the surface."

Likins stressed to the student lobbyists the $9,550 the state pays to educate each student at the UA, and said that even with the increase he proposed, the percentage students bear has dropped from 25 percent five years ago to 23 percent next year.

The three presidents have said they want to increase the amount of tuition that is appropriated for need-based financial aid. Munger said he did not want tuition raised for that purpose alone.

"Tuition is a tax on students," Munger said. "If we are giving it back to them, we should let them keep it in the first place."

Regents President Judy Gignac said after the meeting the regents will attempt to get financial aid money from other avenues.

Each Arizona university student will pay $21 per year to the Arizona Financial Aid Trust, which is matched dollar for dollar by the Legislature. Gignac said she wants to try to get the state pay more.

"Why not float a bill to ask the Legislature to match it 10-to-one, five-to-one or three-to-one?" she said.

A discussion on the competitiveness of faculty pay was tabled until today to provide the regents time to review the report.

Also at the meeting:

The regents approved the appointment of Janet Bingham for UA's vice president for advancement. Likins selected Bingham, assistant vice president of health sciences, from more than 140 candidates.

The regents approved a $125,000 payment to former UA baseball player Patrick McMillin Jr., who sued the university for having his athletic scholarship revoked for performance reasons after his junior year.

McMillin claimed the coaching staff told him during recruitment that he could only lose his scholarship for academic or disciplinary reasons.

Anthony C. Braza can be reached via e-mail at Anthony.C.Braza@wildcat.arizona.edu.