Tuition hikes necessary

With the possibility of another tuition hike this year, some Republican legislators are threatening to cap IU tuition. This comes soon after Gov. Frank O'Bannon announced that the Indiana government can't afford to increase higher education funding. Should IU be forced to cap tuition? Where will it find the money to continue its programs and stay competitive in the educational and research worlds?\nHypothetically, this tuition hike will force IU to manage its money a little more wisely. Hypothetically, IU will still be able to find a fine new president within its current budget limitations. Hypothetically, the school could suffer a major brain-drain without the funds to maintain professors in some of its top departments.\nIncreased tuition isn't much fun for any of the students at IU, but sadly it is often necessary to continue the wide breadth of programs and classes available. While we hope that many of the professors and administrators would stick around without sufficient pay increases, it should come as no surprise that a better offer from another school could lure away our best and our brightest.\nThere's no denying that IU has made some poor monetary decisions. Case in point, PeopleSoft. Still, many choices are good ones and add to IU's popularity and prestige. Perhaps $600,000 is a bit much for a new president, but not if he or she can successfully campaign for increased state and alumni funding.\nIU is a public university and should cater to all Indiana residents, but it's certainly not the only choice for Indiana students. Should the tuition rise too high, causing a massive drop in enrollment, IU will have no choice but to slash it and find more "economic" ways to educate. Enrollment rose for the spring semester, so demand for IU's education certainly isn't down. Basic supply and demand works in higher education as well as it does in department stores.\n-- Jason Gaddis for the Editorial Board