Thursday, December 20, 2001
By RON COLE
VINDICATOR EDUCATION WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Everyone can use a little financial help around the holidays, and Jared Smith is no exception.
A student at Youngstown State University, Smith says his wallet is getting a little light as he buys Christmas presents for a slew of nieces and nephews.
So, the last thing he needs is a bill from YSU that includes a $120 tuition increase for the spring semester.
"Geez, what bad timing," he said Wednesday as he walked across campus. "What a pain."
The university hopes to ease the pain a bit by establishing a $246,000 emergency loan fund to help students pay for the unexpected jump in tuition.
"Well, I don't know if I'll need that, but it's good to know it's there," Smith said.
The fund will provide short-term emergency loans to any full-time or part-time student registered for the spring semester, which begins Jan. 14, said Terry Ondreyka, YSU vice president for finance, who announced the fund at Wednesday's university trustees meeting.
Students can borrow an amount equal to the tuition increase and won't have to pay it back until April, Ondreyka said. There is no interest, application deadline or fee.
"We've tried to make this as absolutely flexible as we can," he said.
Tuition increase: Trustees earlier this month voted to boost tuition 5.5 percent for the spring semester to make up for the loss of $3.1 million in state funds. It is believed to be the first tuition increase in the middle of the academic year in YSU's history.
For full-time, undergraduate students who are Ohio residents, spring semester tuition will be $2,294, up $120 from $2,174 in the fall semester. Those students would be eligible for an emergency loan of $120.
Ondreyka said he did not know how many students would apply for loans but said he thinks the $246,000 fund should be enough to cover all requests.
Five other Ohio public universities have raised tuition for the spring semester in response to state revenue shortfalls, and most have set up financial aid and loan funds similar to YSU's to help students.
The University of Akron, for instance, increased student financial aid and scholarship funding by $232,530 to ease the effects of a 5-percent midyear tuition increase. At Cleveland State University, trustees increased tuition 6 percent and established a new $100,000 financial aid fund.