Interim Chancellor Phil DiStefano is working to introduce a new legislation that would allow CU to set its own tuition without limits from the state.
Currently, the state imposes restrictions on universities to keep them from raising tuition too high.
“The flexibility legislation that would be proposed has several facets,” said Ken McConnellogue, spokesman for the CU system. “Tuition is one and financial aid is another.”
McConnellogue recognized that critics have accused CU of wanting to raise tuition to exorbitant rates.
“On the face it would appear that what higher ed is asking for is freedom to indiscriminately raise tuition,” McConnellogue said.
However, McConnellogue said because the state only funds 8 percent of CU’s budget, it does not necessarily understand what CU needs.
Though the legislation has not yet been introduced and still has no sponsor, McConnellogue said he hopes it will be successful because the federal stimulus package will only provide CU with short-term aid.
“The federal stimulus will help some, but federal stimulus is one-time money and doesn’t help the university on an ongoing basis,” McConnellogue said.
Ryan Biehle, a UCSU Tri-executive, said that UCSU has not taken an official stance on the issue of granting tuition flexibility to the university. According to Biehle, it is important in these economic times to consider all the options, otherwise students could see the quality of their education go down.
However, Biehle said he is concerned about costs and is dedicated to trying to keep tuition as low as possible.
“I am hesitant to support tuition flexibility because it could mean high tuition increases—something students at CU-Boulder should not have to suffer when paying for college is already a challenge,” Biehle said.
According to Biehle, CU should not be funded solely on the backs of students, and tuition flexibility may pose a problem in moving this direction because most of the increased tuition will come out of the student’s pocket.
Biehle said he believes the more important issue is that the state of Colorado is not paying its fair share for higher education.
“The state has passed the buck to students for too long,” Biehle said.
Jaclyn Cardarelli, a sophomore psychology major, said that if tuition goes up too much she wouldn’t be able to stay at CU.
“I don’t think it’s fair that they’re constantly, every year, raising tuition,” Cardarelli said.
Biehle said he thinks it is important to find a solution that will help CU maintain the quality of its education without increasing financial problems for students.
“The real solutions lie in fixing the state budgeting restraints of TABOR and encouraging Coloradans to invest in higher education,” Biehle said.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Lindsay Gulisano at Lindsay.gulisano@colorado.edu.
