Failing Indiana students

The grades have been given, and the report cards are out. In its biannual "Measuring Up" report, the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education graded each state on a series of indicators regarding the accessibility of post-secondary education for their respective residents. But while other states might be scampering home to show their parents the results, Indiana has proven to only be "average" in the categories of preparation (the quality of high school education), participation (the percentage of young people in school) and benefits (the amount that graduates contribute to the economy). Worst of all, Indiana has failed in the affordability category. In fact, the state hasn't experienced a change in affordability since 1992.\nAccording to "Measuring Up," Hoosier families spend an average of 30 percent of their income on tuition for a public state college or university. Among the top-ranked states, the average is 16 percent. Meanwhile, the average amount that Indiana undergraduates borrow in each year in loans is $3,549, compared to $2,619 elsewhere. \nWhen the IDS ran an article on this Sept. 29, director of IU media relations Larry MacIntyre was quick to assert that IU didn't deserve an F. "This is not correct," MacIntyre said. "We are continuing to look for ways to keep IU accessible to qualified students from low-income families." \nHe needn't have worried. We know where the blame lies for this, and it's not IU. In a Sept. 13 letter to the Indianapolis Star, IU President Adam Herbert noted that 2005-06 IU undergraduates paid an average of $1,000 less than students at other Big Ten schools. IU contributed $74 million to undergraduates in financial aid grants and scholarships for the 2005-06 academic year, rounding off at a 10 percent increase annually. Need-based financial aid given by IU has grown at a faster rate than the rise in tuition. No, IU is doing its part.\nHowever, the state of Indiana is another matter. Higher education's share of appropriations (operating and capital) has declined to an all-time low of 13.4 percent from a 1975-76 high of 18.4 percent. Were the state funding higher education at these mid-70s levels, Indiana's schools would be getting another $603 million. Despite this shortfall, IU has attempted to square the circle between excellence and affordability. Last June, when the State Student Assistance Commission of Indiana suddenly decreased the maximum amount of need-based aid awarded to Frank O'Bannon Scholars, IU reallocated $885,000 from its maintenance and equipment budget to provide 900 students with the funds that had been promised. But IU alone cannot pick up the slack for a state that fails to invest in its own future.\nGranted, 43 other states received F's for affordability (with California and Utah achieving the highest marks of C-'s). But just as your parents shouldn't allow you to use that excuse, we can't let Indiana get away with it either. There's a little election coming up in November. It's time to let our state legislators know how you feel.