For many Ohio University students, the logistics of tuition don’t make sense.
Some who structure higher-education finances acknowledge the confusion that can arise when jargon and money are involved.
Representatives from Young Invincibles, a youth advocacy group based in Washington, state representative Debbie Phillips, D-Albany, and David Cannon, vice chancellor for finance at the Ohio Board of Regents, will discuss different aspects of the financing process in presentations at 11 a.m., 12 p.m. and 2 p.m., respectively.
“When a handful of people are sitting around a table in Columbus or Washington they may think they’ve got it all figured out, but they need to hear from the folks (it affects),” Phillips said. “Policymakers are people in our community, and we can talk to one another, and we can make improvements.”
Phillips will give a legislative look at how budgets are decided, and Cannon will explain the Board of Regents’ portion of the process.
“I hope to leave the audience with a better understanding of the Board of Regents’ role and responsibilities during and after the budget process,” Cannon said in an email.
With the help of OU’s Students for Education Reform, Andrew Meyer, a senior studying organizational psychology, planned the event to better educate students about tuition.
“Come spring, when the vocal opposition to tuition gets stirred up on campus, (we want students to know) how can they better direct that voice at the state level instead of just yelling about things and wishing that tuition went down,” Meyer said.
However, Meyer said he hopes those in attendance, which will include students from other state universities, will remain mature during discussions.
“I look forward to students not taking this as an opportunity to pounce on Debbie Phillips and yell at her for education costing so much but rather seeing that we’re not opposed in our interests,” he said. “Both parties want education costs to go down.”
@ohitchcock
