Attention Ohio University students: your tuition is likely to increase.
OU President Roderick McDavis announced in a campus-wide email Friday afternoon that he will recommend a 1.5 percent tuition increase to OU's Board of Trustees at the body's June 26 meeting.
That increase will cost students an additonal $156 in tuition and fees for the 2014-15 academic year, McDavis' email said. That means tuition this fall would be about $10,535.
OU's tuition has increased every year since the 2009-10 academic year.
"We recognize that the proposed tuition and fee increase is not insignficant in its impact on students and their families," McDavis wrote. "At the same time, we believe that the balance achieved by the (Budget Planning Council) is the best possible solution to meeting the budgetary needs of our university while still maintaining affordability and our commitments to scholarships for students and other investments in academic programs and facilities."
The 1.5 percent raise comes from OU's commitment to affordabiilty for its students, Chad Mitchell, OU's budget director, told The Post last week. Under a state cap, public universities in Ohio cannot raise their tuition more than two percent a year.
The raise was recommended by OU's Budget Planning Council a week ago. The council includes top adminstrators, faculty and selected students, including a student trustee and the Student Senate president.
“As far as I can remember, I don’t think (McDavis has) disagreed with a recommendation from BPC before,” said John Day, associate provost for academic budget and planning, last week.
Last week, Day said the tuition increase would generate about $3.2 million for the university to invest.
Transportation will be available to students and employees who would like to attend the Board meetings where the increase would be approved. Those who would like a ride to the meeting should email trustees@ohiou.edu by June 10 with the word "transportation" in the subject line, said Peter Mather, board secretary.
Megan Marzec, the president of next year's Student Senate, whose Restart ticket campaigned on fighting any tuition increases, disagreed with Mitchell last week that the increase addresses students' financial situations.
"We have experienced the lies and threats from the adminstration about our options in maintianing the budget," Marzen said, after BPC announced its recommendation. "No tuition raises are acceptable."
Marzec will sit on BPC next year.
dd195710@ohiou.edu
@WillDrabold
