When it was announced last Friday that the trustees for The University of Alabama System voted to raise in-state tuition by nearly 9 percent and out-of-state tuition by nearly 7 percent, the group was quickly and vehemently cast as villains.
But they were miscast, because their hands were partly forced by a still-recovering economy and policies of the Alabama State Legislature that have failed to improve the state’s education budget shortfalls.
The University did not see the rise in tuition alone; both The University of Alabama at Birmingham and The University of Alabama in Huntsville had their tuition rates increased by a similar percent, and other large public universities in the southeast raised tuition as well – some to a larger degree than the Capstone.
While many students (ourselves included) tend to deride the University’s overpopulation, in this case, the substantial growth directed by and experienced under President Robert Witt has seemingly provided an economic buffer.
“Had the UA campus [not grown] since the year [2008] of the first state cuts, it would have taken a 20 percent increase in tuition this year for that one campus to make up for the cuts,” said Ray Hayes, vice chancellor of financial affairs for the UA System.
The decision of the trustees was certainly a necessary evil, but not necessarily evil. Indeed, we do not like the escalating tuition costs of this university, but we do not want to denounce a group for a tough decision out of their control.
“State support is declining,” Hayes said. “That’s the new norm.”
The battle is not between students and the Board of Trustees. The education funding battle in this state is actually, and foolishly, between K-12 education and higher education. When legislators have to decide between college students and kids, we all should know which group is more politically advantageous to fund. Even then, both K-12 and higher education face proration.
State legislatures must look to adopt policies that would alleviate both of these problems.
If students want to protest the raises to tuition, they must understand the context and the correct individuals to blame. Students should also take part in events such as Higher Education Day, which is organized by the SGA every spring.
The University of Alabama must continue to spend and cut wisely. As state funding continues to fall and tuition continues to rise, students will continue to have a larger financial investment into this university. Thus, this university should continue to budget with the concerns of all students in mind.
