IU Board of Trustees approves 5.5 percent tuition, fee increase

The IU Board of Trustees has approved a 5.5 percent hike in tuition and fees for IU Bloomington— a two percent higher increase than what was recommended by the Indiana Commission for Higher Education.

IU President Michael McRobbie announced May 20 that in-state students would pay the commission’s recommendation of a 3.5 percent increase for in-state students, but he recommended an additional fee be included.

This fee would help cover the cost of repair and maintenance work for IU’s 900 buildings and associated infrastructure across all IU campuses. Altogether, it is a backlog of more than $600 million in repair and maintenance projects, according to a press release.

The approval came soon after a 40-minute hearing Tuesday where the public was invited to voice their concerns.

IUSA President Justin Kingsolver attended the hearing, telling the board that he had several problems with the proposal.

“First among them,” Kingsolver said, “there was very little student input into some of the cost cutting measures we could take.”

He also said that separating the fee from the tuition increase is deceptive, because students and their parents are concerned with the “bottom line.”

The two amounts have often been separated in university press releases and official comments. There will be a 3.5 percent tuition and fee increase, as recommended by the Indiana Commission for Higher Education, and then a separate “repair and maintenance fee” of $180 for the 2011-2012 school year, and a fee of $320 the next year.

The 5.5 percent increase is the total sum of both approved fees.
“Is this increase adequate?” asked trustee Pat Shoulders. “We all want to achieve accessibility and affordability. Its about excellence. We want to make sure IU is one of the best.”

After the hearing, Kingsolver said he was still concerned about how little input students and parents had in the decision and how the University is spending its money.
“Why are we not making the decision?” Kingsolver said. “We are footing 1/7 of the bill. Why are we not asked?”

Trustee Thomas Reilly said that Kingsolver’s comments were valid and they made him think of how the community needs to take a step back and examine its priorities.

“I think the question is, ‘are we spending money on the right things?’” Reilly said. “The campus as a whole should be looking at priorities and cost. We can’t look for the state to provide more money."

He does back the hike, however, he said.

“Students won’t like the increase but it will benefit them in the future,” Reilly said.
Student trustee Abbey Stemler said she understands the pain of paying the continually rising cost of tuition.

“It’s never easy to raise the cost of education,” Stemler said. “I paid for tuition and it hurts, I just think it’s just reality.”