Ball State considers fee

MUNCIE -- Ball State University officials are considering imposing a $1,000 fee on incoming freshmen next fall that could raise their tuition by more than 20 percent if approved.\nIf passed, tuition for freshmen in 2003 would cost $5,720, not including other increases for all students that might be approved before next year.\nBall State Trustee Greg Schenkel said the board had a responsibility to consider all options to keep the university moving forward. Trustees could vote on the hike as early as Friday.\nThe $1,000 fee is being considered after similar fees have been approved at other institutions. Freshmen now pay $5,580 at Purdue and $5,365 at Indiana University.\n"I think it's outrageous and ill-timed because of the recession, and thousands of people are out of work," said Stan Jones, Indiana's higher education commissioner. "Ball State is insensitive to the plight of Hoosier families at this difficult time."\nThe new fee also worries some Ball State faculty members.\nJoseph Losco, an executive board member of the University Senate, said the proposal for a major tuition increase comes at the wrong time, especially since the university already increased tuition 15 percent this year.\n"We're very concerned that higher education is going to be priced out of the reach of middle-class people," Losco said.