Student Leaders Finalize Response To Tuition Plan

The list contains about 15 points addressing student involvement in the University's tuition decisions.

"The list includes things we feel like students want from the BOT regarding the (proposed $400) tuition increase and future increases," said sophomore Douglas Bynum, speaking on behalf of student government. No other member of student government was available for comment Thursday night.

In addition to the list of student concerns, the group also finalized plans for a student protest at the BOT meeting and distributed a student survey about the proposed tuition increase recommended by the Task Force on Tuition.

The survey will be released on Student Central and will provide background on the $400, one-year proposal recommended by the task force. Members of student government could not be reached Thursday night to say when the survey would be online, although Student Body Vice President Rudy Kleysteuber indicated in an interview Thursday afternoon that he hoped it would be available Tuesday.

The survey states that, "This tuition increase would fund increased salaries for professors and graduate students, as well as the hiring of new professors to improve the student-faculty ratio." Forty percent of this new revenue also will be directed to financial aid. The survey also states that the cost to implement these goals would be about $39.5 million.

These figures come from the task force's report, which Provost Robert Shelton made available Wednesday on the Office of the Provost Web site.

The survey also asks students to choose tuition increases that are the "lowest reasonable," "highest affordable" and "personal preference." The options on the survey include $0, $100, $200 and $400 tuition increases for next year.

Although student government members focused much of their attention on the survey, Bynum said meeting attendees also planned a demonstration at the BOT meeting -- where the trustees are scheduled to act on tuition.

But Bynum said the group's main concern for the BOT meeting is getting the administration to consider alternate solutions to a tuition increase.

"(Student government) is not opposed to a tuition increase if it is reasonable and justified," he said. "But we want the BOT to look at other options instead of putting it on the backs of students and parents."

The group is also planning presentations to the UNC-system Board of Governors and N.C. General Assembly, both of which will consider any tuition proposal that passes the BOT.

"We don't foresee the tuition increases ending here," Bynum said. "We're using this (presentation and demonstration) as a stepping stone for other future increases."

The University Editor can be reached at udesk@unc.edu.