OUR VIEW: The unavoidable tuition increase

You better not pout, you better not cry, you better not shout, I’m telling you why.

Because tuition increases happen every year, inevitably. It is a fact of life, along with death and taxes. Every student hates it. Just consider it more incentive to graduate quickly.

Tier I tuition (tuition set by the state) will be increased by $68 next year and Tier II (tuition set by the university) will go up $51. That’s a total of $119.

In today’s article, “Tuition going up to get debt down” (see page 1) the goals for and reasons behind the increase are explained. Due to several causes, USU has a $7.5 million deficit which needs to be addressed, and an expanding university with increasing costs is always thirsty for more money.

We have no choice but to grudgingly accept the increases. On the other hand, we applaud Gov. Huntsman and the Utah Legislation for signing into law a bill allowing universities to set their own residency requirements for out-of-state students.

By handing the decision over to the state’s universities, the Governor and the Legislature have made it possible for USU and other schools in Utah to determine what is best for their students and adapt to their specific needs.

Because of this, even with a $119 tuition hike, many students will find tuition much more affordable in the future. And that’s something