UNC students, Board of Trustees members discuss tuition increases

UNC faces a “three-legged stool problem,” a Board of Trustees member said Wednesday.

The issue: allocating money from upcoming tuition increases to improve students, faculty and academic offerings simultaneously.

John Ellison, a seventh-year trustee on the tuition task force, met with current and future student leaders Wednesday morning to discuss the problem.

Trustees rarely schedule time to meet with students specifically. The event provided an opportunity for students to voice their concerns and educate themselves about tuition issues.

Ellison met with Student Body President Jasmin Jones, Student Body President-elect Hogan Medlin, their respective vice presidents, Josh Ford of the student advisory committee to the chancellor and two other students.

Both Ellison and Jones agreed that educating students about tuition increases and the reasons for them should be a top priority.

“Most out-of-state students expect increases, so it is the in-staters we need to convince,” Jones said.

Ellison voiced his concerns about the preservation of the value of a UNC diploma, competitive faculty salaries, attracting great students to enroll at the University and continuing need-based aid.

Ellison said UNC isn’t paying its faculty enough. In order to lure top professors, it is necessary to keep their pay competitive with other top schools like University of California Los Angeles and University of California Berkeley, he said.

Ellison also said he worries about students who barely miss qualifying for financial aid. An increase in tuition could hurt them the most because they would need to take out more loans and make more accommodations to afford to attend UNC.

“This is an impossible conundrum,” Ellison said. “There is no answer here. If we don’t do something, we could hurt the academic quality of the University.”

Ford said he and his committee want to establish tuition predictability. He suggested a flat tuition rate for each incoming class that would stay constant throughout their four years. That rate could increase for each incoming class.

He also recommended charging students slightly more than is needed. For example, the University could charge every student the current junior year tuition rate for their four years.

This means students would be paying extra their first two years, a normal rate their third year, and a discounted rate their fourth year.

The meeting ended with Jones suggesting a student-led contest for tuition ideas. Suggestions could especially be drawn from the economics department and business school students, she said.

Ellison said he would be happy to hear student suggestions in this format, but communication needs to remain strong between students and the board.



Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.