College must stay affordable

Does your checkbook cringe each time the phrase "tuition cap" is mentioned?

It should. Trustees from state universities, including some from Ohio University, are lobbying to raise the statewide 6 percent ceiling on tuition increases.

"We have far more students applying than we are able to admit, and in the business world you raise your prices when that happens," an OU Board of Trustees member said in a Feb. 5 Post article.

But this is the world of education, and public universities have an obligation to remain affordable to students from a range of socioeconomic backgrounds. Higher education is not and should not be the privilege of the wealthy.

Private institutions exist for students who have the means to pay for more elite schooling. Public institutions exist for students who want a quality education but do not want to spend the rest of their lives paying for it.

Shrewd business practices make universities run efficiently, but a certain degree of altruistic consideration is necessary to ensure higher education remains accessible for everyone.

Ohio State University is petitioning to increase its tuition by 9 percent, and the Ohio Board of Regents supports the university's request. If OSU raises its tuition by more than the cap allows, other universities likely will want to do the same.

The Board of Regents long has opposed tuition caps because it says competition for students would prevent hefty tuition increases, according to a Feb. 6 Associated Press article. But the demand for higher education already exceeds universities' abilities to supply. Would-be students without monetary means would be brushed aside.

Proponents of the cap increase argue that it would enable universities to provide more scholarship aid. But not all students can meet scholarship criteria.

The cost of a college education already is too expensive for many students to afford without financial assistance. Of Ohio's 13 state-funded schools, OU charges the fifth highest tuition fees, and 69 percent of the student body accepts some form of financial aid.

Quality is what trustees are arguing for, and they say a year or two of higher tuition would allow the university to update and expand technological resources, hire more faculty members, renovate buildings and complete a host of other worthwhile programs.

If universities want to put on their business hats, they should do so by prioritizing spending.

Everyone wants these improvements, but they all might not be necessary. OU's Board of Trustees recently approved $50 million for improvements. Authorized projects include, among others, renovations to Peden Stadium and construction of an 8,000-square-foot strength and conditioning center.

President Robert Glidden has said he would loathe raising tuition by as much as 9 percent, but tuition for next year likely will increase by the 6 percent maximum allowed under the tuition cap.

Six percent is enough - for OU and for other state universities. It might not buy everything the university or the students would like; but buildings do not educate, fitness centers do not educate and computers do not educate.

And if tuition climbs too high, there will not be enough students to educate.