Rising tuition confounds and infuriates Southern students

Josh Falcone – General Assignment Reporter

With a new school year underway at Southern, there was also a rise in tuition costs and many students are none too pleased.

The increase in tuition for the 2013-2014 school year at all Connecticut state universities, including Southern, was approved by the Board of Regents finance committee last March raising the average tuition for full time in-state students by 5.1 percent from the tuition cost for the 2012-2013 school year. Last fall the tuition was raised from the previous year 2011-2012 by 3.8 percent.

Communications major Dan Jennings said he is not happy with the constant increase in tuition because he decided to attend the university in the belief that it would be cheaper to attend an in-state school.

“So to go here and have to pay more out of pocket, it’s tough,” Jennings said. “I was able to get a scholarship so that made a difference, I have one less loan then last year, but hopefully they don’t increase the tuition anymore.”

Elementary Education major Jessica Beauvais said that it is good that the tuition cost at Southern is still less than private schools but that she is also worried about the future.

“It is going to be hard to pay back the loans I took out to cover the cost once I graduate,” Beauvais said.

Senior political science major Christian Spencer said that he believes that the increase in tuition is excessive.

“I just think it is unreasonable to have another tuition increase after last year,” Spencer said. “It didn’t go to more faculty personnel, and I haven’t seen any extra services because of it.”

Jennings said that the university’s tuition went up but the Buley Library is still not finished, which deflates him.

“I don’t think I will ever see the completion of the library,” he said. “Yet they threw up that garage in half a year.”

Beauvais said she feels like her tuition is being used on another Southern construction site.

“I feel like my tuition is going towards the giant hole in the middle of Jennings parking lot,” she said, “but by the time I graduate I won’t get the benefits of the renovations.”

Beauvais said that it would be nice to know what all the additional money students have to pay actually goes towards. She said one of her professors this semester told the class that there was no money to make copies of assignments or the course syllabus and that the class was told they needed to print it themselves.

Spencer said he also doesn’t see where any of the additional money goes and that he has seen a different issue arise that he thinks is outrageous with the increase in tuition.

“I have friends in different majors that keep having classes cut or canceled,” he said, “and I have found limited opportunities to take some of the classes that I need in order to graduate.”

Beauvais decided to attend a state school because it was more affordable but now keeps having to pay more and more every year which is making it less affordable, she said.

“I might have to explore the option of living at home,” Beauvais said. “And have to commute again and deal with the horrible traffic and the current parking conditions.”

Jennings said he believes the state should be doing the opposite of what it has done the past few years.

“I think they should decrease the tuition to try and help us out,” he said. “I mean, books are outrageous as is, and the bookstore is overpriced, and any increase is an additional inconvenience to all us students.”