Friday, October 12, 2001

Campus Briefs
Iowa Regents consider 19 percent tuition hike

IOWA CITY, Iowa (U-WIRE) — Resident University of Iowa students face a 19 percent increase in tuition and mandatory fees in a revised proposal released Wednesday, which officials hope will generate revenue to help overcome record budget cuts.

Out-of-state students face a 15.5 percent increase in tuition and fees to $13,833, a jump of $1,883. Residents would pay $4,191, an increase of $699 from this year.

While university officials say the money generated is needed to maintain the school’s quality after budget cuts, critics said the hikes will damage the affordability of a system that has prided itself on low costs.

“Too much of a burden is being placed on the student,” said Lisa Ahrens, the student representative on the state of Iowa Board of Regents. “There needs to be a balance between budget cuts and students picking up the burden.”

Ahrens said she would like to see the increases lowered to the previously suggested 12.5 percent. Regents, who rejected the first proposal after university presidents said they needed more money, will take up the issue at a meeting next week. A vote is scheduled for November.

The proposal from the regents’ staff calls for an 18.5 percent increase in base tuition for UI, Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa. Of the increase, 9.5 percent will accommodate inflation while the rest will improve quality.

— The Daily Iowa