After a long debate at the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents meeting over balancing a quality education with affordability, the regents came to an almost unanimous consensus to increase tuition by 5.5 percent for all four-year campuses.
“At a time like this with so many of us are feeling squeezed by the global economic troubles, we would love to have no tuition increase at all,” UW System President Kevin Reilly said. “It is simply not possible given the pressures that we are under and the cuts we will have to make.”
Under the recently passed state budget, the entire UW System is facing $250 million in cuts, $100 million of which will come from reductions, lapses and reallocations.
This means that regardless of a tuition hike, services may be cut and hard decisions will have to be made.
“This relatively modest tuition increase will not spare our institutions from having to do things they don’t want to do,” Reilly said. “Make no mistake; the next several years will be very difficult on our campuses.”?
Such difficulties that would affect students could consist of fewer appointments with career counselors, larger classes, fewer class choices as well as mandatory furloughs for faculty, according to Reilly.?
Nancy Turner, vice president of the Association of University of Wisconsin Professionals, had concerns about the tuition increase, saying students are paying “more for less.” One of her arguments is that at the same time tuition is going up, staff is being put on mandatory furloughs and therefore students will have less access to faculty.?
Although most of the regents agreed 5.5 percent was a reasonable and predictable tuition increase, the issue was raised by several regents what students who already cannot afford college will do.
According to Reilly, these low- and medium-income students will be protected from such tuition increases.
The “Hold Harmless” policy protects all UW System students whose family income is less than $60,000 from paying any tuition increase. This policy is extended to families with income under $80,000 at UW-Madison, due to the recently passed Madison Initiative for Undergraduates.
Other grants include increases to the Wisconsin Higher Education Grant, the Tuition Increase Grant and the Pell Grant, whose maximum donation was recently increased by the federal government by 13 percent.?
Even so, some regents were skeptical of the possibility that raising tuition would make college inaccessible for some students.?
Regent Kevin Opgenorth, a UW-Platteville student, was the only regent to vote no on the proposal, saying he fears students will be priced out of higher education. The other student on the board, Aaron Wingad, a UW?Eau Claire student, expressed his concerns about a tuition increase but ultimately concluded it would be the responsible thing to do.
“What gives me great concern are cases where students are excluded or discouraged from even making this investment,” Wingad said.?
UW Associated Students of Madison Chair Tyler Junger said though tuition increases are always hard on students, with the circumstances at hand and the budget cuts the UW System is facing, 5.5 percent is not too bad.
“If students have to have their tuition increased, it is probably the best we could have asked for,” Junger said.
