CU’s tuition increase still undetermined

Although a final decision has yet to be made, CU’s tuition may not increase by 9.5 percent next year after all.

CU spokesman Ken McConnellogue said the plan’s 9.5 percent increase isn’t final but was required to be sent in, due to a bill signed by Gov. Bill Ritter in June. CU recently submitted a draft of its financial accountability plan to the state requesting an increase of in-state tuition up to 9.5 percent for the 2011-2012 school year.

Senate Bill 3 allows colleges and universities to determine their own tuition until fiscal year 2016, as long as the tuition doesn’t exceed a 9 percent increase.

McConnellogue said if CU’s plan for a 9.5 percent increase is approved, the university will be allowed to increase its tuition to an amount over 9 percent. This amount may be needed if the university doesn’t receive adequate state funding.

“By submitting the financial accountability plan, we preserved our option if things get bad with the state budget,” McConnellogue said.

McConnellogue said this is important because the amount of state funding for CU is still undetermined.

“We have no idea what state funding is going to be,” McConnellogue said. “We’re not saying tuition is going to increase 9.5 percent. It could be 2 percent. It could be 5 percent. But by submitting this plan, which we are required to do, we are preserving our options,” McConnellogue said.

According to the Office of Planning, Budget and Analysis website, in-state tuition has increased over 8 percent for four straight years. It increased 8.9 percent for the current school year as well.

McConnellogue said the state of Colorado receives little state funding compared to the rest of the nation.

“We are 48th in the nation in state funding by resident students,” McConnellogue said. “I think we receive between $2,800 and $3,500 per student.”

McConnellogue said he thinks this lack of state funding is due to a few constitutional amendments and the fact that colleges and universities can increase their tuition up to 9 percent.

“There are several constitutional amendments that make a good quantity of limits because the constitution says, ‘you must fund this,’” MoConnellogue said. “So what’s left over is the part that lawmakers have state funding over, and it’s a small piece of the pie. Feelings with the state have been that the university has a chance to raise tuition, so they are an easy target for cuts.”

According to the Office of Planning, Budget and Analysis website, tuition fees fund “recruiting and retaining an outstanding faculty, library materials and resources, academic advisors, writing and other courses, undergraduate research opportunities, classrooms, buildings and campus infrastructure and more.”

Some students said they would be unhappy if tuition were to increase.

Andrew Pray, a 29-year-old studio arts and psychology double major, said he is unimpressed with his current education.

“I don’t feel like I’m getting enough money out of what I’m paying now,” Pray said. “I’m really unimpressed with the teachers I have now. I’m considering going to Metro next year.”

Jordan Towne, a 19-year-old sophomore history and philosophy double major, said that Colorado’s lack of higher education funding is saddening.

“It’s pretty sad, especially because CU is known as a pretty good campus,” Towne said. “If Colorado is ranked 48th, imagine how much better it could be even if it were ranked, like, 30th.”

Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Jon Tattum at [email protected].