said Kelly, who voted to recommend a raise in tuition.
A 3.5 percent increase should generate $2.6 million in revenue, and any remaining profit will fund need-based scholarships, she said.
Since the Ohio College Opportunity Grant, a need-based grant, has shifted from a sliding funding scale to a rate of $1,008 per student, OU will help offset a shortfall in the grant's funding through the increase.
The state believes increases in aid from Pell Grant scholarships will compensate for differences in state financial aid, but some students may see a decrease in aid, said Becky Watts, chief of staff for President Roderick McDavis, in a previous story.
Students should contact the financial aid office to see how changes in aid will affect them, she said.
Past Student Senate President Michael Adeyanju, the sole council member who voted against the tuition increase, was unavailable for comment.
Without the increase, OU would see a projected $10.37 million decrease in state funding for fiscal year 2011, according to documents from the meeting.
Ohio University's Budget Planning Council has recommended a tuition increase for Winter and Spring Quarter this academic year.
The increase is a quick fix to compensate for the more than $2 million decrease in funding from the governor's budget to the final state budget, said Tracy Kelly, president of Graduate Student Senate and a member of the council.
The overall student experience would suffer (without the increase) said Kelly, who voted to recommend a raise in tuition.
A 3.5 percent increase should generate $2.6 million in revenue, and any remaining profit will fund need-based scholarships, she said.
Since the Ohio College Opportunity Grant, a need-based grant, has shifted from a sliding funding scale to a rate of $1,008 per student, OU will help offset a shortfall in the grant's funding through the increase.
The state believes increases in aid from Pell Grant scholarships will compensate for differences in state financial aid, but some students may see a decrease in aid, said Becky Watts, chief of staff for President Roderick McDavis, in a previous story.
Students should contact the financial aid office to see how changes in aid will affect them, she said.
Past Student Senate President Michael Adeyanju, the sole council member who voted against the tuition increase, was unavailable for comment.
Without the increase, OU would see a projected $10.37 million decrease in state funding for fiscal year 2011, according to documents from the meeting.
We're trying to keep everything running the best we can said Josh Bodner, vice president of Graduate Student Senate, who attended the meeting.
If OU does not increase tuition, the university will have to cut jobs and programs, he said.
The council felt like there is nothing left to cut without affecting the character of the university, Bodner said.
The Board of Trustees will talk about the potential increase at their retreat in Columbus later this month.
The increase should be part of the discussions about college affordability and the fiscal health of the university at the trustees' retreat, said Robert Kidder, chairman of the Board of Trustees.
Kidder said he did not know when the board would take a final vote.
Parents on campus for freshman orientation were surprised to hear about a possible increase and said it has not been discussed during their informational sessions.
Universities and colleges around the state are split on whether or not they will raise tuition.
The University of Cincinnati, Miami University and Ohio State University will not raise tuition next year. Kent State University, University of Toledo and Youngstown State University have raised tuition for the fall.
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Caitlin Bowling
