The rising cost of college is nothing new, and students graduating with heaps of debt are not unusual. Inflation is partially to blame; however, a recent study by the College Board revealed that tuition rates at state colleges and universities are rising by 5.96 percent. That is 2 percent more than the inflation rate.
In an effort to combat the problem, the state of Ohio took steps to help ease the tuition burden by freezing prices. But Ohio University, in a desperate scramble for cash, raised prices elsewhere. Students came to Athens with a rate hike to the general fee as well as higher room and board.
Most of the problems stem from a bad idea: the idea that a college is a lot like a business. Hiring more administrators and cutting programs have done little to help OU. If anything, all the changes have done is create an unnavigable bureaucracy. Top-level administrators seem to have swapped the educational mission of the institution with a goal for how many students they can cram into dormitories with each incoming freshman class.
Top-level OU administrators need to realize that college is expensive. This is not an isolated problem; it is happening nationwide. But when the state hands you an opportunity to help students attend your college, do not try to use loopholes to make money. Instead, work with the state to help make the process better for everyone. Paying for college is hard enough without hidden price increases.
Editorials represent the majority opinion of the executive editors.-
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Work [i]with[/i] the state instead of raising costs
