ASUSU discusses tuition plateau change
A proposed 4-percent fee increase could impact part-time students registered for fewer than 12 credits per semester as part of a possible change in the university’s tuition plateau policy.
Erik Mikkelsen, ASUSU president, said tuition currently plateaus between 13-18 credits, which means students pay the same tuition for 13 credits as they would for 18.
He presented the possible changes to the ASUSU Executive Council Tuesday night. He said the council was asked to prepare its opinions on the changes for the Registrar’s Office.
“When we merged with USU Eastern, we had to have a lot of policy shifts,” Mikkelsen said. “At USU Eastern, currently, their class tuition goes from 10 credits to 18 credits.
The change would raise USU Eastern’s plateau and would lower the Logan campus plateau, with the two meeting at 12 credits.
Mikkelsen said the goal is to have both schools use the same plateau without changing either one too much. He said fees would be re-adjusted to balance out the money USU receives from tuition and fees.
He said this will only balance out the revenue generated by tuition and fees, not increase it. Because of this, he said, fees would decrease by $75 for students taking 12-18 credits and increase for students taking fewer credits.
“The people that it would affect the most are the people that are not full-time students,” Mikkelsen said. “Their tuitions get a rise and everyone else’s tuitions get dropped.”
Ryan Baylis, ASUSU Athletics vice president, said most of the students affected are residents who pay in-state tuition. He said many of them are people taking just a few classes.
“Number-wise we’re talking small amounts, if you’re a resident,” Baylis said. “I don’t think we’re talking about thousands of dollars — something like $75 if you’re taking 10 credits.”
According to Justin Watkins, ASUSU regional campus and distance education vice president, tuition would increase 4 percent for part-time students. He said he thinks about half of the regional campus students attend part time.
“We just did this petition where we were worried about this last 15-percent increase over the last how many years, and right here we’ve got 4-percent increase for part-time students,” Watkins said. “It seems pretty steep.”
According to Cami Jones, ASUSU Graduate Studies vice president, graduate students would also be impacted by the tuition increase.
“For the graduate students, it’s completely different,” Jones said. “Full time is six credits.”
Jones said nine credits is a greater amount of credits for graduate students. She said most graduate students would never reach the plateau.
The Executive Council also received the schedule for next semester’s ASUSU elections, during the meeting.
Hannah Blackburn, ASUSU Public Relations director, presented the new dates and said elections will be Feb. 27 to March 1.
Applications for elected officers are due Feb. 1 at 4:30 p.m., she said, and a mandatory meeting for the candidates will be held at 5 p.m. in the TSC Auditorium.
Applications for appointed officer positions will be released Feb. 21. She said the applications used to come out the week after elections but will now take place the week before elections. The appointed officer applications will be due March 5.
In the past, the newly elected officers would make the applications for the appointed positions, but this year the outgoing officers will make the applications, Blackburn said.
The new schedule will not conflict with Engineering Week, a possibility ASUSU officers were formerly concerned about, she added.
– chris.w.lee@aggiemail.usu.edu