REACTION: Students React To New Tuition Increase Approval

("Money - Savings" by 401(K) - 2012 via Flickr)

The UT System Board of Regents recently approved a 5.2 percent price increase for the 2023-24 academic school year at its scheduled meeting on May 3. The Board said the decision was necessary to address rising costs due to inflation.

The price hikes will apply to tuition and non-academic fees and will not apply to undergraduates who live in the state. However, undergraduates from out-of-state and all graduate students will be subject to the price increase, The Board announced.

Each UT System institution has the permission to decide how much of the 5.2 percent it wants to use to increase its tuition and fees, but if UT-Tyler uses any of it, then students may see higher sticker prices for education as soon as fall.

Given the possible impact a price increase could have on UT-Tyler students, I went to campus to find out how students feel about the price hike.

Most students were unaware of The Regents’ decision and many said they felt uninformed about the situation to confidently comment. However, I felt their comments revealed students' reaction to rising costs to their education. Our conversation was insightful to how price can affect students’ lives. 

Here is what they said! (They were all nursing majors.)

________

James: How do you feel about the tuition increase The Board of Regents recently approved?
________

Victoria Arisa, Nursing Student, Undergraduate, Senior

“Honestly, my money doesn’t come out of pocket. So it doesn’t directly affect me and it is understandable to me why they increased it because of the inflation. 

"But at the same time, I just think that if UT-Tyler is going to...increase the tuition, that they need more resources for students, to be able to compensate for students for that increase.”
________

Sajina Adhikari, Nursing Student, Senior, Pays Out-of-State Tuition 

“I think for them to have the same standard and the same facilities with inflation going up, it’s reasonable. But with out-of-state tuition and not in-state, I think that’s not fair.”

“I can’t tell for other students, but for me personally…out-of-state tuition, it’s already high. I think last semester...I paid double to what [in-state undergraduates] were paying already. So it’s unfair, just the out-of-state tuition going up.”

James: Are you going to continue your school after you graduate?

“I plan to, but if the tuition goes up high and I’m going to have to pay double of already what I’m paying, I’m not going to come back to Tyler. I’m going to find a school that’s cheaper somewhere in California. 

"I mean, what’s the point of me coming all the way from California and still paying high tuition than in California?”
________

Elizabeth Bryand, Nursing Student, Senior, Plans to Attend Graduate School

“In terms of like a graduate perspective, because I do live in the State of Texas, it does kind of take a hardship, because I did go to school here, and on top of that, I live here in the state of Texas. So that is kind of a hardship towards me as a student. 

"And of top of that, I did my undergrad here. So I feel like another thing the school, maybe the state, should be taking into consideration is, ‘Where did they live the majority of their life?’ or ‘Did they actually do their undergrad here?’

“In terms of that, I think they should do a price cut in terms of honoring, you know, your alumni or your legacy, because after graduation, [graduate students,] they have jobs, they maybe work full-time, they have children to take care of. There are other factors that go into that, that I think the Board of Regents needs to take into consideration, because there are a lot of hardships as [an] undergrad or a graduate student.

“Especially, for example, [with] nursing. After you graduate, you have to work a full-time job, and if you’re wanting to go back [to school], you’re having to juggle work, school, and on top of that your family. So it is a little harder on students. So I feel they definitely need to be taking into consideration that aspect.”
________

Ashley King, Nursing Student, Senior, Gets all her money from financial aid

“I feel like it’s already expensive enough as it is, honestly. And for it to be a 5.2 [percent] increase for out-of-state, I don’t know. That’s a lot, actually. Then I don’t think it’s fair to punish out of state students versus in-state students. That doesn’t make any sense to me.” 

James: When you talk about a tuition increase, what kind of things come to your mind that are concerning for you? 

“For example, I’m the Vice-President of NSNA and we already have nursing students who can’t even afford their scrubs. So we started a scrub closet. When you think about students who are younger students who don’t get financial aid, they’re on their parents income. That might restrict them even more.” 

________

Taylor Ogdie, Nursing Student, Senior

“I don’t appreciate it as much because it is very difficult as a student at UT to balance work life and regular life with school, and we already don’t have enough time to work a lot outside of school. So it’s hard to pay for the bill[s] and focus on our academic and school life. So, it makes it harder on us as students.”

James: Does it make any difference in your opinion that it only applies to non-residents?

“I don’t really have an opinion on that part, per se, but just overall I just don’t like the increase.”
________

My Reaction:

I enjoyed being able to learn how sensitive nursing students are to the thought of a price increase. I also benefited from hearing about how much nursing students have on their plate while they are in school. (It’s a lot!) 

I also wonder how many of these students connect rising inflation with who they voted (or will vote for) for United States President (not that I really care about national politics on this blog). Yet, many college students often vote for Left-wing policies, such as greater government intervention in the economy. This activity drives inflation. 

In this case, I just wonder how much they make a connection of rising inflationary costs with how they vote. Inflation (unlike other political issues, such as judicial appointments or foreign policy) is often one way the impact of government policies reach all the way back to the individual voter.

Again, this blog is not interested in national politics, or even politics in general. It's just a thought about how students think about the factors in their lives. 

Just my thoughts! Thanks again to everyone who participated!

Sign-up for my newsletter! 

Twitter: @Jhescock12

Feature Image: "Money - Savings" by 401(K) - 2012 via Flickr

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Primer to University Governance - Part One

Image
  ( Photo : ''Court Gavel - Judge's Gavel - Courtroom'' by wp paarz via Flickr ) The following is a primer to internal university governance. When you're a student, it is easy when you want to do something for yourself. Want to drop a class or change your majo r ? That's no problem. Yet, the moment you want to do something for the student community, say end a student fee or save the mascot from extinction, then you enter the realm of campus politics. Reforming campus policy requires you engage with the structure of university governance and that you participate in a democratic process. For this, you need to understand the university’s governance structure and how the powers that be set university policy. To the average student, all of this can be quite foreign. So to help students understand university governance, here is a primer to university governance. Everyone can have an introductory understanding of university governance if they understand th...
Read more

OPINION: SGA's Inaction On Student Issues Not For Inability To Act

Image
    (Logo. Source: Student Government Association at UT-Tyler.) Student government elected a new chief of staff this week in a special meeting at the end of the semester. Senator Jennifer Chandler won the assembly's vote in a three-way race among two other current SGA members, Allison Schwartz and Tyler Paige. Student members spent nearly an hour both investigating and discussing who should be the next officer in the association's executive board. That members take such an interest in their organization's affairs is commendable. However, given that the assembly displayed how it has the capacity to both investigate and deliberate over a subject matter with rigor, then I ask, why it could not also demonstrate this same rigor in matters that are undeniably of popular student concern, such as unavailable parking space and advisor shortages? The assembly's ability to both convene a special session and to debate the issues at length demonstrate that members have the ability t...
Read more

OPINION: SGA Election Awards Residential Students More Representation

Image
    (Logo. Source: Student Government Association at UT-Tyler.) Student government elected a new chief of staff this week in a special election at the end of the semester. Senator Jennifer Chandler won the assembly's vote in a three-way race among two other current SGA members, Allison Schwartz and Tyler Paige. In her campaign pitch to the assembly, Chandler championed her priority for inclusion and accessibility in SGA as well as her three years of experience as resident advisor (RA) in Ornelas Hall student housing.  With Chandler's election, Student government advances yet another residential student to a position of power. There is nothing is wrong with this in principle. After all, all students, both residential and commuter, have the right to participate in student government. However, given the obscurity with which SGA operates to most commuter students, it is mostly residential students who know about its activity and therefore stand the most to benefit from their ...
Read more