Student officials debate tuition

BOONE - Tuition increases emerged as a key issue this weekend for leaders at the monthly meeting of the UNC-system Association of Student Governments.

At the second meeting of the association's Council of Student Body Presidents, leaders discussed the direction of a tuition advisory committee charged with determining what kind of systemwide tuition increase it will recommend to the UNC-system Board of Governors.

At the meeting, some of the system's student body presidents - many of whom serve on the tuition committee with campus administrators - debated whether it would be prudent to recommend a systemwide hike.

Student representatives on the committee often are the most vocal advocates of curbing tuition growth, and many seemed optimistic about the possibility of holding off an increase.

"All of the student body presidents seem to be leaning toward a 0 percent increase," said Miriam Makhyoun, student body president at Appalachian State University.

Tony Caravano, student body president of N.C. State University, said the committee's student voice has a good chance of being heard.

"It's so different this year," Caravano said. "I see that there's more momentum toward zero than there was last year."

Caravano said schools might be willing to recommend a 0 percent systemwide hike to protect campus-based increases.

Campus-based initiatives are proposed by the boards of trustees of each system school. Universities have greater discretion in spending the revenue raised from such tuition hikes, since the burden is limited to their own students.

Support for systemwide tuition increases often is seen as a way for universities to gain funding leverage with state legislators. But many ASG leaders believe that an improved budget outlook for the state should allow the N.C. General Assembly to pick up the tab this year.

"I think we're more confident that we have the support in the legislature already, and we don't need to make concessions," said Zach Wynne, student body president of UNC-Wilmington.

But not everyone is convinced that a 0 percent increase would be best. Administrators at N.C State University have recommended a 2.2 percent systemwide increase, and a number of other schools are still considering support for similar recommendations.

"Speaking on ASU, some of the administrators feel that if we ask for nothing, then we will allow faculty and certain academic programs to suffer if we don't get this money," Makhyoun said. "I can see a split between the administrators and the students on many of the campuses."

A conference call is scheduled for October, after which the systemwide tuition advisory committee will make its proposal to the BOG.

Last year, the committee made dual recommendations of 2 percent and 0 percent. The BOG ultimately decided against a systemwide increase, though a number of schools won approval for campus-based increases.

ASG leaders also are preparing a comprehensive tuition analysis to present to the BOG and state legislators by the start of the spring semester.

The report is intended to complement "The Personal Stories Project: Faces, Not Numbers," a book of stories compiled last year by ASG President Amanda Devore, then-vice president for legislative affairs.

That initiative collected narratives from students around the state experiencing hardships as a result of tuition increases.

"We presented the problem last year from a personal perspective," Devore said. "And now we want to show the facts to back it up, so that people can't just dismiss the issue."

Caravano said he is prepared to oppose any initiative that would raise the price tag of higher education.

"In general, I don't support tuition increases," he said. "I think that it really puts the legislature in a position where they don't have to live up to their responsibility, which is funding the university system. I think we continually bail them out."

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