Thursday, May 3, 2007
It would be nice if I logged into Enroll and Pay after summer break to find tuition at the University of Kansas had not increased for the fall semester. But let’s be honest. That dream is not worth entertaining.
On the surface, I seem like a traitor to my fellow students because I support the University’s yearly tuition increases. But I am willing to be called that or worse if it helps to preserve the University’s reputation and enhance the value of my degree.
Unfortunately, the University is not powered by the hopes and dreams of its students. It’s funded by cash. And unlike the wishful thinking of naive students, cash is not abundant at the University.
nutgraf
Mismanagement of funds is another argument I often hear. If it is, then we need to focus on how to better manage our funds before we make any hasty decisions, like cutting tuition.
I work at the KU Endowment Association. My job there as a student caller is to persuade alumni to donate money to the University. Through my job I have learned that tuition and fees paid by students only make up 16 percent of the University’s budget and the state only provides 24 percent.
The rest is left up to alumni. However, many alumni do not want to pay for our generation’s education. This is a problem for two reasons.
First, when the University does not meet its funding goals, it is forced to cut programs and ignore deferred maintenance problems — even though many have already been put off for too long.
Secondly, the amount of money the University has is directly linked to its ratings. Universities need updated technology, services and buildings to receive high ratings and attract students. To afford these things, universities need money. So when the amount of money the University is raking in decreases, its ratings go down — along with the value of our degrees.
At KUEA we are trained to explain these things to alumni, but even the most persuasive students can’t always convince alumni who do not want to donate money to the University to change their minds.
Not to mention, according to the University’s Web site, “KU tuition this year was 6 percent below the Big 12 Conference average for resident tuition and more than 10 percent lower for non-resident tuition.”
Mismanagement of funds is another argument I often hear. If it is, then we need to focus on how to better manage our funds before we make any hasty decisions, like cutting tuition.
People also complain that the University spends too much money on its athletics programs. OK, everyone knew that before they came to school here. And FYI: most of the money spent on our athletics programs are provided by alumni too. They pay outrageous amounts to a program called the “Williams Fund” to support our basketball team and get good seats at home games.
However, those who still believe that tuition should be decreased and the University should deal with it by cutting its budget, perhaps should go to Johnson County Community College. Tuition there is approximately half the price of ours for two years and I hear that JCCC looks just as good on transcripts as the University of Kansas.
Chambers is a Paola freshman in journalism.
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Chambers: Tuition cuts will devalue degrees
You, my dear, are funny.
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