Students lament 5.75% increase

Lower state funding was one reason given for a ninth consecutive increase.
By HAROLD GWIN
VINDICATOR EDUCATION WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- A 5.75 percent tuition increase may still leave Youngstown State University with the lowest tuition rate among Ohio's largest public universities, but students aren't happy with the increase.
"I'm definitely against it," said Jason Alexander, a sophomore psychology major from Youngstown, upon hearing Thursday that the board of trustees, sitting as the board's finance and facilities committee, had just approved the increase.
Final approval is expected at the trustees' June 23 meeting.
The increase will cost full-time undergraduate students an additional $364 a year, setting the new annual rate at $6,697 for Ohio residents. For regional students within a 100-mile radius of campus, the new rate will be $9,321, and for other nonresidents, $12,204.
It's the ninth consecutive annual tuition increase at YSU.
The nearly 1,000 students who live on campus will also be hit with a 3.3 percent room-and-board increase, which will cost an additional $210 a year, for a total of $6,490.
Alex Rokicki of Poland, a sophomore mathematics education major, said she was hoping for no increases next fall.
"Obviously, it's not a good thing," she said, when told of the trustees' action. Everything, including gasoline, is so expensive now. Students don't need to be faced with another increase, she said.
Lowest public tuition
The university said that YSU will still have the lowest tuition among Ohio's largest public universities. Further, YSU is the only one of those 11 schools to OK an increase that is below the state-imposed cap of 6 percent or $500, whichever is lower, the university said.
YSU student government leaders said they were at least pleased the trustees compromised on the size of a tuition increase.
Trustees were initially considering a 6 percent increase back in December but delayed final action twice. The board had to act this month to have a budget ready for the 2006-07 fiscal year, which begins July 1.
"I think it's a good compromise," Sarah Vansuch, SGA executive vice president, said of the 5.75 percent figure.
It shows the university is trying to meet and control costs without sacrificing the quality of education, she said, acknowledging that the SGA hears frequent complaints from students opposed to tuition increases.
Chad Miller SGA president, said he is concerned that repeated tuition increases may price YSU out of the education market. Still, he said he was pleased the trustees compromised on the figure.
Favored higher raise
The difference between 5.75 percent and 6 percent for the full-time student is about $15 a year.
YSU Student Trustee Louise M. Popio said she thought the increase should have been 6 percent, and she had urged the board to approve the higher increase. A 5.5 percent increase would still leave the proposed $134 million 2006-07 general fund budget with a $1 million revenue shortfall, she said.
That amount isn't being responsible or prudent, she said.
Even at 6 percent, the university is still looking at a $652,000 revenue shortfall. At 5.75 percent, the number is $843,000.
Popio had support for a 6-percent increase, but a motion on that amount failed in a 5-5 tie vote. An earlier vote on a 5.5 percent increase failed in a 6-4 vote and a motion for a two-tier tuition package of 5.5 percent in the fall and an additional 0.5 percent (if needed) in the spring never got on the floor for a vote.
The final compromise at 5.75 percent passed 9-1 with Scott Schulick casting the dissenting vote. He had pushed for a 5.5 percent increase. Voting for the 5.75 percent figure were Popio, John Pogue, William Bresnahan, Donald Cagigas, Millicent Counts, Larry DeJane, Sudershan Garg, Dianne Bitonte Miladore and H.S. Wang.
"We are sensitive to the financial limitations that face most of our students, and asking them to pay more is not a step that is taken lightly," said Dr. David C. Sweet, YSU president.
State funding drops
However, state funding for YSU has declined from $47 million to $38.7 million over the past six years, making raising tuition necessary to maintain and enhance the quality of programs the university offers, he said.
YSU has taken numerous cost-containment steps to become more efficient, including trimming departmental budgets. That process hasn't stopped, and the university will continue to look for ways to operate more efficiently while providing a high-quality education at a competitive price, Sweet said.
gwin@vindy.com