Student demise, tuition rise

The curtain rises and we dance,
Our feet moving to and fro. 
One by one we join the foray,
With the puppeteer gleefully in command
“Left arm up, right arm down!”
He says with contempt and greed
We puppets obey, and we obey in harmonious monotony,
We pass the days as a silent majority,
As a submissive, apathetic lot
Reality finds us leaded, and guided
By those with a separate plot
However
A few of us have tried to cut our strings and flee
Only to realize that our efforts as individuals
Are symptomatic of futility
The solution is thus, and let it be
That we must organize as one
For together is strength, and decision
For together we will have won

To illustrate our collective apathy as university students and the need to come together to manifest for much needed and justifiable change, let us focus on the issue of tuition.

On June 20, 1991, the underlying dilemma of tuition increase became evident, yet again.

The minutes from the IU Trustee meeting noted how “Trustee Gonso ... said that the trustees do not want IU to be accessible only to the elite and observed that administration and faculty know that quality education must be delivered. He expressed his concern that the current situation dictated the choice being made (to raise tuition).”

 The minutes reveal more: “Trustee Black agreed that this was a frustrating experience each year when the Trustees are faced with having to raise tuition for students. He said that he would like to have the legislature assess what their responsibilities are for higher education. He asked what is just for the legislators or the state tax base and what is just for a student who is seeking higher education in a state institution. He said that no one seems ever to want to make that determination.”

As we all know, nationally, tuition is on the rise. When “nearly 90% of IU’s new revenue in 2009-2010 will come from tuition,” we must be prepared to see it increase well into the future. However, that is the case, if we decide to do nothing about it.

Thus, we must take the initiative to  “make that determination” and create an effective barrier to this runaway increase in tuition. Our student representatives, campus leaders and trustees are not willing to take strong action in this regard, Although they may express some disdain towards these increases, a more fundamental, concrete and effective approach must be undertaken. In the process of bringing tuition decrease to fruition, we must not acquiesce, we must not compromise our rights or interests as students, and we must not let our voices become silenced by reticent and overtly cautious representatives.