Student protestors filed out of Friday’s Board of Trustees meeting in frustration after board members unanimously passed a tuition increase for next year, leaving behind signs that silently denounced the decision.
The cost of being an Ohio University undergraduate will rise to about $10,215 per year, up from the current rate of $9,870. The 3.5 percent increase is the maximum amount allowed by Ohio law for public universities.
This is the fourth time OU has raised tuition since Winter Quarter 2010.
About 15 students filled two rows at the board meeting, holding signs that read “With the amount of debt I will have it will not be financially responsible of me to have children” and “I make $98.18 a week, look me in the face and tell me that I can afford $10,215 for tuition.” The students stood silently holding the posters as trustees discussed the decision to raise tuition.
“We see you. We see the stories you bring on those poster,” said trustee Sandra Anderson, deputy general counsel for Ohio State University, addressing the student protestors. “We want you to know that we do not take this lightly.”
Trustees cited decreasing state subsidies coupled with increasing operating costs for the university as the reason for the tuition increase. They also addressed the need for the university to come up with alternative revenue sources so that tuition increases will not become a yearly necessity.
“We can no longer rely on state support like we were able to. We are no longer able to (balance the budget) through cuts alone,” said trustee Janetta King, former deputy chief of staff for policy for former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland. “I’ve been very encouraged that while this is a short-term step, the hard work is being done to come up with a more comprehensive, long-term solution.”
OU plans to use the revenue generated by the tuition increase to fund additional financial aid for students, safety maintenance projects, increased campus Internet bandwidth and additional class sections. The university is projecting that because of increasing expenses, it is facing a $5 million budget gap for next year.
Student trustee Danielle Parker, a junior studying public relations, expressed support for the tuition increase during the board meeting. Student trustees do not have voting rights on the board, but do weigh in on the issues presented each quarter.
“I do sit on (Budget Planning Council), and I’ve had a while to think about this,” Parker said. “I remain confident that … this will uphold the quality of my education and the education of those who follow me.”
Trustees expressed sympathy for the plight of students struggling to afford college while insisting that a tuition increase for next year is necessary to retain OU’s quality of education.
“We have obligations … to provide funding necessary to provide a good education for our students,” said trustee David Brightbill, former president of the Ohio Association of Community Action Agencies and the Corporation of Appalachian Development. “I was here in the ‘60s and I was on the other side. … I understand the difficulties that this creates for (students), but we’ve got to come up with the money some way.”
This sentiment did not change one student protestor’s opposition to the tuition hike.
“It’s almost more insulting that they recognize our struggles and still raise tuition,” said Megan Marzec, a freshman studying studio art.
Students organized three tuition protests prior to Friday’s board meeting, and also reached out to some trustees to urge them to vote against the increase.
“I had at least 25 phone calls from students,” said outgoing chairman of OU’s Board of Trustees C. Robert Kidder, who is also chairman of the Chrysler Group. “It was the same message from all of them, to not increase tuition.”
Ellie Hamrick, a junior studying anthropology, said she was asked not to contact board members after making phone calls to each trustee.
“I called each board member exactly one time, and they were all out of the office or in meetings,” Hamrick said. “The next day, I got an email and a voicemail from Tom Davis, (the secretary of the board), saying trustees have been instructed not to return calls or emails from students.”
The protests against tuition increases are not stopping after this meeting, said Tyler Barton, a senior studying chemistry. He plans to meet with members of OU’s Student Senate to discuss putting a vote of no confidence for the Board of Trustees on the upcoming spring election ballot.
“When students vote in the Student Senate election, they should have the option of saying whether they have confidence in trustees to make decisions on their behalf,” Barton said. “It has no binding power to remove anyone, but it is symbolic.”
