One day down, one to go.
The Ohio University Board of Trustees held its first series of meetings Thursday, but Friday marks a more relevant day for students — one that could lead to a fourth consecutive year of tuition increases.
OU currently charges in-state undergraduates $10,216 per year in tuition and fees. With the proposed 1.6 percent increase, that cost would be $10,380.
“We came to realize that the 1.6 (percent) number is probably about the best place for us for 2013-2014 fiscal year,” Vice President for Finance and Administration Stephen Golding said at Thursday’s joint committee meeting.
“(That will generate) $2.7 million added to about $2.5 million worth of State Share of Instruction, which is what our current projection is for 2013-2014.”
Despite the fact that trustees have not yet voted on the proposed tuition increase, OU’s financial aid and scholarships website already features “estimated costs” reflecting the proposed increase. There is no mention of a price if the vote were to fail.
On Tuesday, more than 200 students and Athens residents gathered to protest guaranteed tuition and tuition increases. During Thursday’s meeting, an Ohio University Police Department officer was on duty outside the board meetings. However, no students protested Thursday. Jacob Chaffin, spokesman for the OU Student Union, said several students will show up to Friday’s trustee meeting.
Trustees will also vote at the meeting on a five percent increase to the instructional fee and non-resident surcharge at the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine — totaling $14,538 and $6,505 per semester, respectively, for the 2013-2014 school year.
“The five percent increase for OU-HCOM will keep us as one of the lowest-costing medical colleges in the state and will allow us to invest in other resources,” Golding said.
Additional resolutions up for vote include a 3.5 percent increase in Residential Housing costs and a 0.5 percent increase for meal plans, reinstating the Ridges Advisory Committee and renaming the Academic and Research Center student organization meeting room, Room 112, to the C. David Snyder Student Collaboration Room.
Another resolution up for vote would authorize construction contracts within the total project budgets identified for the six-year Capital Improvement Plan.
Trustees will also further discuss a guaranteed tuition model, which could be implemented as early as Fall Semester 2014 or 2015, according to a previous article in The Post.
“We think the guaranteed tuition should include tuition, fees, room and board, mandatory fees, graduation fees, orientation fees and course fees,” Executive Vice President and Provost Pam Benoit said. “These would be included in the guaranteed tuition, which is unusual; other institutions are including strictly tuition.”
OU President Roderick McDavis will also give his report to the full board, highlighting the Promise Lives Campaign and “Points of Pride” such as D.J. Cooper being named MAC Player of the Year.
bc822010@ohiou.edu
