Opinion: Column
Four years enough for undergrads
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Also by Joe Labuz:
- Mammoth beer tax hike threatens state economy (September 16, 2009)
- Biddy off-track on booze advertising (September 9, 2009)
- Peace Park plan a Band-Aid solution (September 1, 2009)
- First Come, First *ERROR: SERVER IS TOO BUSY* (June 22, 2009)
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College students (and people in general) love to complain. Just ask Todd Jasperson. (Speaking of which, how about that weather the other day? I haven’t seen anyone make it rain like that since Pacman got suspended.) Whether it’s about politics, cops, reckless bicyclists or tuition, it’s easy for us to see the problem, but it’s not always easy to come up with a solution.
Tuition has been an especially touchy subject over the past several months. The university-imposed Madison Initiative for Undergraduates as well as systemwide tuition hikes have led to rumblings and grumblings from Lancaster to Lake Michigan. After much debate, the Madison Initiative was approved. As of right now, committees are being set up to oversee dispersion of funds.
As certain areas targeted by the initiative are improved — especially bottleneck courses and advising — it should become easier for students to move through the university in four years, something that could save students a substantial chunk of money.
Make no bones about it, college is expensive. And even though we don’t really think (or care) about it, it’s pretty pricey for the state, too. The cost of education for each UW-Madison student is about $22,000 per year. Hopefully you’ve noticed this is substantially higher than the annual tuitions of in-state and reciprocity students ($8,312 and $10,138, respectively), and pretty close to the $23,062 for out-of-state kids. That money has to be made up somewhere, and though private donors play a role, the state or federal government usually pick up the bill. In fact, both end up contributing more to the university than student tuition does.
Granted, this is a rough analysis that doesn’t correct for some factors (though it does neglect research and “enterprise” dollars when calculating annual cost per student, making it possible that $22,000 is a low estimate.) But I have a test tomorrow and need to hit the books. Nevertheless, the fact remains our educations are substantially subsidized by the state. As budget belts tighten across the land, there may be a way for the state and students to save money at the same time.
Assuming the initiative funds are effective at giving students the tools necessary to graduate in four years, it may be a worthwhile idea to give students a financial impetus to do so as well. After four years of state-subsidized education, students wishing to take a fifth-year “victory lap” should still be allowed to do so — but only if they pay the full cost of their education.
Taking five years to get a pre-med degree would suddenly seem less cool when that fifth year would cost you an extra $10,000 to $14,000.
There are, of course, some obvious limitations. The plan would not be remotely feasible until advising is much improved and students can get the classes they need when they need them. Extenuating circumstances would also have to be accounted for as well. Students should not be forced to drop out after senior year because of an illness, double major or work schedule that only allowed 12 credits a semester. I have faith that our killer B’s (Biddy and Berquam) would have more than enough compassion and common sense to allow for such situations if my proposal were adopted. And super-seniors to be, you’re safe for now: This plan would have to be grandfathered in.
Nevertheless, the status quo needs to change. College is far too expensive for students and is becoming too expensive for states as well. The money saved through this program could be redistributed via need or merit-based scholarships, or simply used to reduce tuition across the board. With somewhere around 2,000 current fifth-year students (again, these numbers are rough but probably low), the money saved may be modest compared to the overall budget, but $20 million would certainly be nothing to sneeze at — unless you have the swine.
It’s not always best to follow the example of the NFL, but in this case, if you can’t pick up a degree after four downs, it might be time to get off the field. Future super-seniors might not like it, but I’m pretty sure they’ll be outnumbered by people who would like lower tuition.
Joe Labuz (jlabuz@badgerherald.com) is a senior majoring in biomedical engineering.
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An editorial that could be summarized in three sentences. Work harder next time.
Thank God you don’t work for the university!
Do high schools not inform students of “student loans” anymore? What is this crap about having to take 12-credit semesters because of work? Your “work” IS school. Instead of graduating in 5 years with a C+ average, graduate in 4 years with an A and go to grad school. Every undergrad should be preparing themselves for grad school beginning the first day of their freshman year; even if you don’t go, your options are still intact.
This.
But in terms of the school’s horrible budgeting, put me in charge and I’ll fix a few things.
Did your high school not teach you about things called “interest” and “debt,” 12:27? Because, you know, that’s what student loans bring, they’re not free money.
Um, did you ever hear that Cs and Ds get degrees? Yeah, they do, but you’ll still be unemployed because you honed your skills as a coffee grinder instead of an engineer.
As for interest and debt. Would you pay $50 interest per month to triple your salary? Fair trade. Do the math, or grind coffee… your choice.
Sure this makes sence, unless 1. you don’t qualify for student loans because of family income levels and 2. you can land a better job because you have non academic experience (leadership, budgeting ability, etc).
Don’t think for a minute that everyone qualifies for the same finacial backing for their education or that working always hurts your future job prospects.
I think its unfair to say that it should be done in 4 years. I didn’t decide what my direction was until the end of sophomore year, when i had to start science classes from the bottom. ive taken atleast 16 credits every semester, am double majoring in 2 unrelated majors, but will take 5 years. if i had the choice, of course i would love to be done in 4, but i just don’t have that option
You decided your “direction” was 2 unrelated majors? Way to pare it down.
You’re argument defeats itself at the end, when you say that B&B will have “compassion and common sense to allow for such situations”. Every student has a situation. Some of us work full time jobs. Some of us really do change majors two years in. Some get sick or deal with unexpected tragedies. Some of us just don’t know what the f* we are doing with ourselves. What we all have in common is that we’re here, working at some pace towards a degree. As long as students are paying for the credits they register for, which they do one way or another (income,family,scholarhsips,loans,etc), I don’t think it is anyone’s place to set cut-offs on years or terms.
I don’t know a single art student who has gotten a BFA in 4 years. Taking 3 4-credit advanced studio classes plus another course outside of the department is extremely difficult, especially if you want to do well in all of them and actually care about what you are creating. I was also in the same boat as 9:04 and declared at the beginning of my sophomore year. Despite the fact I was taking 1-2 Intro. (art) classes plus general requirements, it took me 5 years to get my degree.