As price-hike protests pop up on campus this quarter, Ohio University’s Board of Trustees is nearing a decision about whether to raise tuition next year.
The board’s April meetings start Thursday, and members are expected to vote on the proposed increase during Friday’s full board meeting. OU’s Budget Planning Council recommended a 3.5-percent tuition increase for next year, which is the maximum amount allowed by Ohio law.
“I anticipate that the board will vote on (tuition) at the April meeting,” OU President Roderick McDavis said in an interview earlier this month. “The decision relative to tuition and fees will clarify the parameters of the budget for next year.”
If the board passes the increase, full-time undergraduate tuition would jump to $10,215 yearly, up from the current rate of $9,870.
The university is projecting a $5 million budget gap for next year if it is to complete the desired investments on its “wish list,” which includes safety maintenance projects, funding for instructional equipment, increased campus Internet bandwidth and additional class sections.
“We’ll have to depend on that (tuition) increase for so many things, and we still have a problem to close that $5 million gap,” said John Day, associate provost for academic budget and planning, during a March interview.
The board is also expected to vote on a proposed room-and-board increase, according to the Board of Trustees April meeting agenda. Residential Housing and Culinary Services requested a 3.5-percent housing-fee increase and a 1.5-percent dining-fee increase for next year.
Other matters that will be either voted on or discussed during the trustees’ meeting include:
• mineral rights for university land
• The Promise Lives fundraising campaign
• the housing-development plan
• the $160 million debt issuance
• university construction projects
• Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine campus in Dublin, Ohio
• the quarters-to-semesters transition
The committee meetings will take place Thursday afternoon in Walter Hall. The full board meeting, during which members will vote on the resolutions discussed in committee meetings, is at 10 a.m. Friday in 104 Walter Hall.
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