Colleges and universities throughout the nation are bowing to the pressure of state legislators, reversing tuition hikes in the face of opposition from lawmakers.
It’s a move that’s drawing support and opposition from the most unlikely of places — in Wisconsin, it’s applauded by Republican lawmakers and condemned by students. In states like Maryland, educators are praising efforts to keep affordability in the equation.
While seemingly a victory for students, in states like Wisconsin and Minnesota, it’s a move aimed at college and university leaders — a challenge for administrators to leave tuition hikes out of the equation when it comes to balancing the books. Wisconsin students opposing the move are calling out lawmakers for what they see as an attack on educators.
“The main reason a freeze would be bad for UW-Stout is that instructors who have not received a raise for quite some time will not get one for another two years,” UW Stout Student Association Vice President-elect Brandon Wayerski told the Dunn County News.
Legislation in Wisconsin, Minnesota and California to freeze tuition is taking hold. This week in Minnesota, the state Senate overwhelmingly passed a bill that would limit the state’s college and university system from hiking tuition, a piece of legislation that also put a freeze on administrative bonuses.
In an 86-44 vote, the measure was approved in the Senate with little debate, receiving support from both Democrats and Republicans
In Maryland, it’s a different scenario, with colleges praising lawmakers for passing legislation enabling college boards to reverse tuition increases for in-state students. The state’s St. Mary’s College board of trustees issued praise for state lawmakers.
“The College leadership remains committed to providing the highest quality residential liberal arts education and is pleased to have this opportunity to moderate the cost of attendance,” Board Chair Molly Matthews-Mahoney told the Southern Maryland. “We have always given our students due consideration when determining tuition increases and continuously seek the resources to assure the affordability of a St. Mary’s education.”
Indiana’s Purdue University took its own measure to institute a tuition freeze, to the delight of students. The move came in the midst of widespread student pressure. In early April, students staged a protest at Indiana University to protest tuition rates, which have climbed 45 percent in the past six years.
Wisconsin’s Walker champions tuition freezes?
In Wisconsin, the push is being led by Republican Gov. Scott Walker, made infamous through his anti-labor “right to work” legislation and the subsequent recall referendum it inspired. He survived the recall, and is now standing behind a move to freeze tuition, citing the University of Wisconsin system’s $650 million reserve.
While some students in the university system applaud the relief, the University of Wisconsin – Stout Student Association voted unanimously against the tuition freeze, favoring instead a 2 percent tuition increase cap.
That 2 percent tuition increase would have raised the yearly tuition at the University of Wisconsin-Stout from its current rate of $8,944 to $9,122.
Prior to Walker’s push, the University of Wisconsin system was expecting to pass what was considered the lowest tuition increase in years. Overall, tuition has increased, collectively, by 5.5 percent in the last four years.
“It’s been awhile since I’ve been able to say it’s a pleasure to talk about the UW budget,” UW Associate Vice President for Budget and Planning Freda Harris, told the Board of Regents.
The new proposal by Walker now has students and administrators shaking their heads. Traditionally, 70 percent of funding for the system is generated through tuition, with the remaining 30 percent stemming from state funding.
President-elect Juliana Lucchesi framed the tuition freeze at a larger scope, focusing on the real impact it will have on students’ overall educational experience — and final bill.
“A tuition freeze is not a good option for students in the long run and has not shown to save students money over a period of four years,” she told the paper. “Tuition freezes can also result in loss of faculty and academic staff who are already paid 18 to 20 percent lower than the national average.”
It’s that sentiment that’s difficult for lawmakers to get behind, as it sets off a red flag for student constituents.
Minnesota battle creates unusual split
Minnesota Sen. Terri Bonoff, a Democrat and chair of the Senate Higher Education Committee, is one of those voices. Having voted against the Senate bill, she justified her decision based on student feedback and the “bigger picture.”
“While you think you might be doing our students a favor, I would suggest that a hard freeze … is not in the best interest for our students,” Bonoff said, according to the Star Tribune. “They have told us that.”
Last year, students who attended Minnesota state colleges and universities saw an average tuition increase of 3.9 percent. In 2011, students took to the Capitol to protest tuition hikes — since 2002, the funding formula for state colleges and universities has shifted from the state paying for two-thirds of the cost to tuition accounting for more than 60 percent of all revenue.
Attached to the Minnesota Senate bill are provisions that would keep public colleges and universities on a short leash, requiring institutions to submit budget reports, breaking down spending on a per-student basis.
It also ties 5 percent of state funding to achievements — schools must increase low-income student graduation rates by 1 percent and cut $15 million in administrative costs.