[Vision2020] tuition for the U of I

[Donovan Arnold]

The trickle down theory of this Amendment sounds fantastic. But in reality it will just be another avenue for UI Administration to collect more revenue from students and spend it anyway they wish. There is nothing that says tuition will be used for classroom instruction. It will only for sure raise the cost of attendance for students. 

 
Currently only 14% of Idahoians get an education beyond high school, one of the lowest in the nation and almost 1/2 that of the nationial average. Want is more distressing is how much less a High School Diploma even means today. Charging FEES + TUITION will only further reduce this 14% number because fewer students will be able to afford to attend college and finish a degree. 
 
There are other ways to move money from FEES to classroom instruction. Such as giving each teacher an administrative role and paying them a seperate additionial salary from the fees. They could also require each administrator to also teach a class or two. Saturday classes could be added for core Freshman and Sophmore courses, many colleges are doing this. Classes could go 1/2 in classroom and 1/2 internet. Many colleges are doing this. Many things can be done other than sucking the students dry in the hopes that some of the money  trickles down to teacher salaries and classroom instruction. 
 
Who really wants to bet teacher salaries will rise if this amendment passes? 
 
Donovan J. Arnold
 
--- On Mon, 10/25/10, ringoshirl <ringoshirl at moscow.com> wrote:


From: ringoshirl <ringoshirl at moscow.com>
Subject: [Vision2020] tuition for the U of I
To: vision2020 at moscow.com
Date: Monday, October 25, 2010, 5:23 AM





Visionaries:
 
Here are the arguments provided for the Secretary of State's office for the constitutional amendment dealing with tuition.
 
I support this.  Although the legislature should support higher education better, the record of doing so is not impressive.  All other schools were give permission to charge tuition a couple of years ago, but it requires a Constitutional amendment for the U of I.  
 

S.J.R. 101
“Shall Section 10, Article IX, of the Constitution of the State of Idaho be amended to permit the Board
of Regents of the University of Idaho to impose rates of tuition and fees on all students enrolled in the
University of Idaho as authorized by law?”
Proposed Amendment to the Constitution of the State of Idaho: Section 10, Article IX
Legislative Council’s Statement of Meaning, Purpose and Result to be Accomplished of Proposed
Amendment:
This proposed amendment will clarify that the Board of Regents of the University of Idaho may
charge students tuition, as authorized by law. Currently, the University of Idaho charges student fees
to undergraduate students, but not tuition. Student fees cannot be used to pay for classroom instruction.
All of the other state-supported colleges and universities in Idaho have the authority to charge
tuition, and this amendment specifies that the University of Idaho will have the same authority.
Statements FOR the Proposed Amendment
1. Currently the University of Idaho can charge student fees, but those fees cannot be used to help
pay for the cost of classroom instruction. This amendment will allow the University of Idaho to
charge tuition, which can be used to pay for classroom instruction, a practice that is allowed at
all other state-supported Idaho colleges and universities.
2. This amendment will not establish any rates of tuition or fees. The authority for determining
rates of tuition and fees will continue to rest with the State Board of Education, sitting as the
Board of Regents of the University of Idaho.
3. This amendment allows all Idaho’s higher education state-supported institutions the uniform
authority to charge tuition.
Statements AGAINST the Proposed Amendment
1. The University of Idaho is Idaho’s land-grant university and predates statehood. The framers of
the Constitution envisioned a free education for University of Idaho undergraduate students, and
that historic precedent should not be changed.
2. Rather than amending the Constitution, the state could provide the additional funding to cover
the costs of classroom instruction at the University of Idaho.
3. Changes to the Constitution should be made only for major issues of interest to the state or in the
event of a constitutional crisis.
Shirley Ringo
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