Raising tuition harms all

Trustees agreed unanimously Friday with IU president Myles Brand to raise tuition by percent, along with a $100 per semester technology fee increase, in response to Indiana legislators' inaction on the state's budget deficit. In-state students will see an additional $577.60 on their bursar bills next year, with out-of-state students facing a rise of $1,453.70. \nIndiana legislators let the state down by focusing on their re-election campaigns and not on what was right for Indiana: raising taxes enough and directing funds to vital state programs. Governor Frank O'Bannon and fellow Democrats sought small increases in the state's gasoline tax, cigarette tax and gambling fees. Those tax increases could have cut IU's tuition increase at least 2 to 3 percent, keeping it closer to inflation. \nIt's not too late to hold down the costs. If O'Bannon calls a special session of the legislature, the technology fee -- an additional $200 per year -- could be removed. If state lawmakers want to see IU and the state's universities excel as an attracting force to to new businesses and graduating students, they should take action to strike down the fees. \nBut many have come to view a college education as an individual pursuit -- that is, something "bought" for personal gain. Although statistics show that personal income increases for diploma-holders, states should not underestimate how much an educated population helps the state economy as a whole. \nIndiana should look to states such as California and Georgia, which provide free tuition for in-state students, for examples of how public education can be done. Those states understand that a college degree, be it at a two- or four-year institution, makes companies look hard at locating in those states.\nIt's unfortunate that state spending cuts, and the corresponding tuition hikes, come at the same time families are faced with a broad economic slump.\nWith these new financial obstacles to a college degree, some students and their families will be forced to forgo education in favor of working a lower-paying job with few benefits. Indiana legislators let these students down, along with the state's long-term economic prosperity, in order to tell constituents they voted against tax increases when they campaign for re-election this fall.\nStudents and their families should remind legislators that voters care about higher education and long-term goals. \n