Paying for what you don’t get
Tuition changes are only beneficial to future university students

By Hemi Ahluwalia
Associate News Editor

Chancellor Michael Ferrari said it would be in the best interest of everyone at TCU to have flat-rate tuition because it would encourage them to graduate in four years instead of five or six.

Maybe that is a good idea, but what does it matter to the current TCU students who now have to pay $420 a semester hour? That is a 7.7 percent increase from this year’s rate.

In the March 9 issue of the Skiff, the chancellor said the university fee would be set at $750 for everyone. That’s one good point because it will be less than what students paid this year. But for those students paying a flat-rate tuition, there is $450 unaccounted for.

A warning for incoming freshman: Make sure you know what you are paying for before you get here. Of course, I am sure the university will tell you the money is being spent on the “TCU experience.”

My dad received a letter in the mail this week describing the increase of tuition and what it is used for. He also said the letter urged us to graduate in four years.

Four years does sound reasonable, but what about students who can only handle 12 hours a semester?

There is one other problem I do not fully understand. The chancellor said if a student takes 15 hours a semester, he or she will have no problem graduating in four years. That is where the other math problem comes in. For my journalism degree, I have to complete 124 semester hours. Well, if I take 15 hours a semester for eight semesters, I will only have 120 hours. What about the other four hours?

And what about other majors that require more hours for a degree? The math department requires a student to complete 132 hours before he or she can get a bachelor of science degree. That means those math students would either have to stay an extra semester or take 18 hours for four semesters and 15 hours for the other four semesters to get their degrees. I hope they can handle taking a heavy load.

The letter also stated how TCU was improving the campus with a new Student Center and the William E. and Jean Jones Tucker Technology Center. First of all, construction has not started on the Student Center, and the technology center will not be completed until after I graduate.

So why am I paying for them now?

I will be graduating four years since arriving at TCU, something the chancellor wants us all to do. I think since I am going to graduate in four years, I should’nt have to pay for the new improvements.

Then again, I could stay around for five or six years, and I would not mind having to pay the extra money for the Student Center since I would still be here to use it.

I make a promise to you directly, Chancellor Ferrari, that after I graduate and get a job, I will contribute money as an alumna. But for right now, I am currently too broke to have that much money to spend.

Associate News Editor Hemi Ahluwalia is a junior broadcast journalism major.
She can be reached at (h.ahluwalia@student.tcu.edu)

Editorial policy: The content of the Opinion page does not necessarily represent the views of Texas Christian University. Unsigned editorials represent the view of the TCU Daily Skiff editorial board. Signed letters, columns and cartoons represent the opinion of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board.

Letters to the editor: The Skiff welcomes letters to the editor for publication. Letters must be typed, double-spaced, signed and limited to 250 words. To submit a letter, bring it to the Skiff, Moudy 291S; mail it to TCU Box 298050; e-mail it to skiffletters@tcu.edu or fax it to 257-7133. Letters must include the author’s classification, major and phone number. The Skiff reserves the right to edit or reject letters for style, taste and size restrictions.