Students given a voice on tuition rates

With a proposed nine percent increase in tuition for the 2011–12 academic year in the works, PSU officials recently established a committee for students to have a voice in tuition-setting.

On Jan. 25, the Tuition Review Advisory Committee (TRAC) held its first official meeting. The intent of TRAC is to involve students in the tuition-setting process in a formal capacity.

Student membership is limited to four undergraduates, as well as one graduate student. ASPSU president Katie Markey also sits on the committee.

“Students have always been involved in the process on some level,” Markey said. “But never have students been invited to sit on a formal tuition-setting committee.”

During its first meeting, committee members were presented with a preliminary proposal of the tuition increase facing PSU in the coming year. Though the Oregon State Legislature has not yet approved the plans, the current proposal suggests a 9.4 percent increase in tuition for Oregon residents and a 6 percent increase in non-resident tuition for the 2011–12 school year. A six percent increase is also proposed for graduate students, regardless of residency.

According to Lindsay Desrochers, vice president of finance and administration, these tuition increases are a response to the loss of significant state appropriations, as well as the loss of the stimulus fund. As a result, PSU is now facing a $24 million budget shortfall.

“We’re exploring every possible option to avoid raising tuition,” Desrochers said. “We also have to submit our budget by May, while State Legislature doesn’t submit theirs until June. We have to essentially anticipate what they’re going to do.”

ASPSU Legislative Affairs Director Marcus Sis, who sits on the committee, claims that during the meeting it was announced that even with the proposed tuition increases, the budget gap would be far from closed.

“This tuition increase is projected to bring in around $11 million, but that’s not even half of the budget deficit,” he said. “So the question remains: Where is this money going to come from?”

According to Desrochers, PSU is planning a 3 percent reduction in spending across the board to help levy the situation.

Besides the tuition increase, the university is also pulling from its ending fund balance, a large pool of money that is essentially a rainy-day fund. The school is required to preserve

5 to 15 percent of its operating costs in the account, and the fund has consistently hovered around 13 percent. Though pulling from the account would offer only a temporary fix, it could rectify some of the deficit in the short term, according to Sis.

“Using this money could solve the problem temporarily, but what we need to figure out is how we can solve this issue in the long run,” he said.

Another option TRAC is investigating is the implementation of a differential tuition model. Under this model, degrees would be priced independently of one another. Courses that require greater expenses and courses that enroll a higher number of students are potential targets of differential pricing. According to Desrochers, the differential cost would hopefully be no higher than a few dollars.

“We need to make sure that everything is done with the students’ best interests in mind,” said Student Senator Pearce Whitehead said. Whitehead, who also sits on the committee. “I believe that this is one of the most important issues that will be facing our school in the next few years, so it’s ASPSU’s duty to keep the discussion going on this issue.”

Though TRAC has only had one meeting, it is slated to review the tuition annually. ?