Differential tuition: A price I must pay

I want to start off by saying I take great pride in being part of the Huntsman School of Business. I can brag about how we are one of the oldest business schools in the western part of the country, or how we have a high placement rate in most industries. I love the school, and I love how experienced and helpful the professors can be.

What I am going to talk about is how even with grants, working 2-3 jobs, and living as cheap as possible, I still have to take out student loans to attend basic classes. This struggle happens due to one key factor: differential tuition.

If you weren’t aware differential tuition is when business students must pay $117 per credit for any class above the 3000 level and even more for graduate classes. If you want the specifics, you can go to huntsman.usu.edu/graduate/htm/differential-tuition. If you want the short version, it’s to pay for instructors. This is a basic supply-and-demand problem. At least that’s how it’s phrased on their website.

I would say that the benefits of being a professor should incentivize the career. I think that private donations could help pay professors more. And I think differential tuition should still exist, but at not such an enormous rate and cost to students.

Additionally some money goes to extracurricular clubs and activities. If that’s the case, why do I have to pay over $50 just to join the Marketing Club? I have worked in the school’s advancement department, so yes — I am aware it’s not spent on the new building (a common belief among many business students I asked) or funding extravagant trips.

This change was decided in 2007 before I even applied here, and will continue long after I graduate. It was somewhat approved by elected students, but no one who goes here now voted for this cost or has to pay it. The common student never got to vote if they would be willing to incur this cost; it was decided for them. I, for one, would like more student input. On their website it says to contact the school; I plan on contacting them, and I encourage you to do so as well.

I realize that education is an investment, and not all investments work out, but to ask so high a cost from students just so they can get a basic education is not only damaging to the students, but — in my opinion — how the school of business is viewed. I love marketing, I love the school of business and I have great respect for my professors. I just expect more from my school and administrators, and I am disappointed.

—Riley Thompson studies marketing and is the marketing director for Aggie Radio and the Statesman. He enjoys everything about pop culture, but especially likes to write reviews on comics, movies and apps. He claims to be the No. 1 Disney fan at Utah State University and will challenge anyone who says otherwise. Contact him at rileymcmurdiethompson@gmail.com or on Twitter @RileyMthompson.