Artes, Scientia, Veritas, Money

Earlier this month the University of Michigan Board of Regents voted to raise our tuition 5.6%, which amounts to over $600 additional dollars in cost for in-state students. At a time when the State of Michigan has been gutted by the current economic crisis our University has decided to dig deeper into the pockets of an already hurting student body. At a certain point this is no longer and economic issue, but a moral issue.

The fact stands that the University of Michigan is morally wrong in raising tuition this year.

I would like to take on some of the common arguments from the Administration on the legitimacy and necessity of this increase:

1) We Must Emerge Stronger – The Administration has argued that during the recession it is important for U of M to compete with other high performing universities for the best professors in the world. Many universities are hurting, which means this is, strategically, the best time to pay professors more and grab additional ones.

I understand that this may be appealing, but in an economic recession where everyone in this state is forced to tighten belts and make do with less – than so should the University. The Administration says it has “three interests groups to deal with: the professors, the students and the donors.” This argument would work, but the University is a school, and an University is not University without students. If we direct school-wide policy to appease professors then we are merely a think-tank with interns who pay to live and work there.

We are a school, not a think-tank. Stop treating the students of Michigan, whose parents pay tax dollars to fund U of M, as if they are merely granted the pleasure of studying there. Our students worked hard and studied hard to get into U of M in order to study – not to be taken advantage of.

The Detroit Free Press weighed in on this thinking by saying:

But there’s a simple lesson our public universities have not yet learned. You can’t just keep going to the well to raise revenues. You can’t always decide to do more with more, while everyone else is resigned to doing more with less.

2) We Are Increasing Aid – The Administration’s announcement on the rate increase was actually buried within an article about an increase in student financial aid. The University if trumpeting an increase of over 11% in need-based financial aid in order to assist students in attending the University.

Unfortunately, this is a wolf in sheep’s clothes. First, a large amount of this increase is coming from federal stimulus funds. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) included large increases to the Pell Grants and the federal work-study program. Additionally, the University is diverting some donor money over to scholarships. These increases go to help the poorest students entering the University, but many middle-class students are left out of the complex financial aid equations. Additionally, there is a difference between receiving grants and receiving work-study. One is free money that goes towards tuition and another is predicated on taking time to find and work a job on campus.

The University is benefiting from ARRA funds going to the state to cover appropriations (as mandated by law) and benefiting from an investment into federal financial aid, but it still demands more from its students.

Additionally, it is perverse to demand more from students, but, conversely, also put them on financial aid. Instead of making college affordable for all the University perpetuates a donor/receiver system that intrinsically links the poorest to the rich, while ignoring the plight of the middle class.

3) We Cut Our Merit Pay – The Administration cut merit pay for this year for the President, Executive Officers, and Deans in order to help slash the budget.

Some would laud this as sacrifice on behalf of the Administration. In reality, merit pay is based on performance of executives on top of their normal salaries. These executives are some of the highest paid in the nation, but they expect us applaud the reductions in their bonuses. At a time when entire families are losing income and jobs – we are are expected to thank them for not taking bonuses.

No executive of an University ought to even consider a bonus in this economic environment if they raise tuition as much as the University of Michigan has done.

4) At Least It Was Not 12% – Anyone who argues the “it could have been worse” argument is severely delusional. Our State is slashing budgets items left and right, but the University has the fortunate place of being protected by federal law. Instead of taking this as a blessing the Administration takes this as cover to arrogantly forge ahead.

At some point the University, as we all have, must learn to be less arrogant. The United States is adapting to being a lesser global power – Michigan is adapting to no longer being an industrial giant – the University must also learn to adapt.

In the end, I feel no kindness towards an Administration that so adamantly refuses to stop increasing tuition. The State Legislature is keeping appropriations constant with 2006 and students have been prepared to take out more loans/financial in order to continue paying for the University of Michigan.

We the People are weathering the recession, but the University refuses to acknowledge that commitment and acknowledge our realities.

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