Fixed tuition rate included in proposed plan
Republican lawmakers recently proposed a set of bills aimed at providing relief for Colorado students attending state universities.
The proposed plan comes as a part of Colorado legislator’s efforts to reform higher education.
According to a recent College Board press release, four year in-state universities showed a 6.6 percent increase in tuition and student fees over the last year. The average total cost of a four year in-state college is now around $13,589, including room, board, tuition and fees.
Included in the plan is a proposed fixed rate of tuition. If the bills pass when the legislative session resumes next year, students will have the option of paying regular tuition that is likely to rise over the course of four years, or paying a higher, fixed rate of tuition.
Republicans also say tuition hikes can be minimized by revenue generated through oil and gas production. The recent plan proposed by GOP lawmakers would create a trust fund in which half the revenue from natural gas production would funnel into higher education.
This money would include revenue produced by the controversial proposed drilling in Colorado’s Roan Plateau.
The proposed drilling in the Roan Plateau, expected to be introduced in the state senate by Colorado State Sen. Josh Penry, has been a hot topic of debate among legislators and environmental groups alike.
One student said she is not happy with every facet of the proposed bill.
“I’d probably go with the fixed rate,” said Courtney Siegle, a freshman international affairs major. “I think they need to find funding somewhere else. There’s so much natural beauty in Colorado. I wouldn’t want that to be destroyed.”
Contact Campus Press Staff Writer Katherine Spencer at Katherine.a.spencer@colorado.edu.
