University should consider needs of students first

Our tuition has gone up — again.

This time, and thanks to the Purdue Board of Trustees, who on Friday Afternoon increased our tuition by 7.5 percent, it's a rather large increase.

We have grown accustomed to having our tuition hiked every year, but this year seems a bit extreme.

The reason offered for the increase is that the University was given a limited budget by the state and it needs money to make to assist in quality faculty retainment.

We understand that the state gave Purdue a limited budget and you would like to maintain the quality of the University, but there must be some other way than to raise our tuition so dramatically.

Over the past year we have seen the University make large gains in its fund-raising effort. Can't some of this fund-raising go toward faculty and staff salaries, rather than it coming from students and parents pocketbooks?

The University seems to be making tedious efforts to provide a faculty of better quality, meanwhile weeding out the type of students available for enrollment.

This sounds like a good idea, but many students would not get the education received at a university such as Purdue. They would have to resort to a less expensive, possibly less qualified college. This lessens the chance for many students, who depend on financial aid to help pay tuition, to get the education they want and deserve.

What's a little 7.5 percent increase? While it equates to a mere $292 dollars extra for in-state students, out of staters, who already pay drastically more to attend Purdue, costs will increase almost $1,000. That's a rather large chunk of change for anyone. If tuition must increase a certain percentage annually, then the large gap between in- and out-of-state students needs to begin narrowing. Perhaps a prorated increase for in- and out-of-state students would help pupils from other states more easily afford to attend Purdue.

What if this tuition raising business backfires? We are known for our Schools of Engineering. The tuition raising may cause those looking to major in other schools to ignore what Purdue has to offer and go to their second or third choices.

When other state schools tuition has only raised near 5 percent, why does Purdue feel the need to raise above everyone else? Universities are very competitive, but they shouldn't be competing on who can charge the most. The jury is still out on how much Indiana University is going to increase, but, now that Purdue has set the bar so high, one can only imagine that the students in Bloomington are going to feel some of the same copy cat tuition and fees increase. Sorry IU.

Students will still come to Purdue. This institution offers a lot to students of all fields of study. The Purdue name on a diploma has long been associated with academic excellence and that is always beneficial when interviewing for work upon graduation.

However, at the rate tuition is increasing, Purdue is also going to become synonymous with an over-priced education. Is this still a public institution?

Editorial Board: Keith Thomas, Kurt Esposito, Jamie Teibel, Luis Jimenez, Jenny Jones

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