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 ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in biomedical engineering.
