That the budget and the economy are in the hole to the tune of, oh, trillions, is no news to most of us. In addition to the fact that I can look forward to a crappy economy rife with poverty and unemployment in my post-grad years, I now know that I also played a role in helping balance New York state’s budget.
I’m so happy that my tuition increase could work toward better serving your imbalance, Albany. Thank you for using my university to, in essence, put a tax on a captive market of students seeking higher education.
I don’t think they’ll be sending me a supplemental certificate with my diploma for that.
Not only am I infuriated by the fact that I’ve paid up for a tuition increase in the middle of an academic year, I’m further disgusted by the fact that the vast majority of the money I’ve contributed, with the hopes of helping my university maintain programs for my benefit in the wake of budget cuts from the state, doesn’t go to my university — it goes to the state, for purposes unknown.
Not only do these mid-year tuition hikes create problems for current students in a time when many loan options are maxed out and banks aren’t lending (so much for the bailout), they also set a dangerous precedent. Who’s to say that in future years of budget crisis a university couldn’t decide to raise tuition at any time, with little means for recourse? Problematic though the budget may be, I don’t think it’s fair to manipulate students, already faced with many years of student loans, in order to fix the problems of an unwieldy state government.
The current economic crisis affects everyone, and to force students and their families to pay more is not only egregious, it’s downright heinous. Three hundred dollars might not seem earth-shattering to many of us, but for some it poses a real problem. With further tuition increases looming on the not-so-distant horizon, the situation is likely to become far worse. Families with multiple children in college might find that these tuition hikes are simply too much when added on to an already considerable price tag. Although New York state is lucky to have many financial aid options available, including the Tuition Assistance Program, new precedents and ever-growing numbers of students looking to attend college will quickly overwhelm the system.
If higher education, or education more broadly, is really going to be a priority, it’s time to treat it that way. Students, universities and school districts are not cash cows for the state, no matter how grave the economic situation may appear. It’s time for politicians to get a little more creative and efficient. Taking money from schools only damages the country’s future economic potential, and we’ll already be footing the bill for the policies of today for years to come. There are going to be cuts, but tuition increases should, at the very least, be used toward the universities that demand them. I pay to improve or maintain the quality of my education, not help the governor find an easy out.
So thanks again, Governor Paterson, for your enlightening budget proposals. I’m happy to know that my time at Binghamton University has afforded you the opportunity to twist my arm a little bit more. Too bad iPods have gotten so small, now I won’t even be able to find a box to live in.