Glidden discusses tuition hike

by Nick Juliano
Staff Writer

More than a dozen Bryan Hall residents discussed their concerns about tuition increases last night in an informal session with Ohio University President Robert Glidden.

Glidden has chatted with Bryan residents every Winter Quarter since he came to OU seven years ago, said Vlado Bratic, Bryan resident director.

“We let students ask the questions that are of great concern to them,” Bratic said.

Glidden cited decreases in state support for higher education of about 15 percent during the past three years as the primary reason for the size of the proposed tuition increases.

The OU Board of Trustees has proposed a 9.2 percent increase for continuing students and a 19.5 percent hike for incoming freshmen next year.

But Glidden said Ohio Gov. Bob Taft should not be blamed for the cuts in funding because of the state’s problems with K-12 education and Medicaid funding.

Ohio is a “low tax, high user fee” state, he said.

Glidden said the university will not compensate for the state cuts completely through tuition increases. OU also has slashed its operating budget, Glidden said.

He added that OU did not cut faculty members’ instructional budgets; cuts were mostly made in areas such as travel budgets.

Students also questioned if OU’s budget problems will have an effect on the proposed university center plans.

But Glidden said the funds for the university center are separate from the university’s operating budget, so problems should not arise.

He said the center will be at least a year in planning. The earliest groundbreaking would occur in the fall of 2003, but a more likely date would be the spring of 2004.

University officials are in the process of choosing an architectural firm to design the building.

Students attending the session said they appreciated Glidden’s comments and the small nature of the meeting.

OU senior Jennifer Parsons said she was glad not many people attended the meeting because it enhanced the quality of Glidden’s responses.