The fall semester is approaching and with it comes the promise of a new beginning and, of course, new tuition and fee hikes. Unpopular as they may be with most students, they should be accepted and welcomed as a necessary part of making UH a better school.
The latest increase of tuition and fees of 5.9 percent is modest when compared to the amount of funding the University needs to not only achieve flagship status, but to build its under-supported departments and services to an acceptable level.
Instead of lamenting these new increases, the student body should understand the need for them and play an active role in determining how subsequent increases will be divided among the various departments of the University. As easy as it is to complain, the more difficult but more responsible task is to be a part of the growth and change of this institution.
During the 2008 Student Government Association elections, many candidates promised to fight hikes in tuition and fees. While superficially this is a popular stance, to work toward this end is to commit an egregious disservice to the University’s students, faculty and staff. The debate must be moved beyond the issue of whether tuition and fee hikes are necessary to how they will best serve the University at large.
According to the University Web site, 19 percent of the latest increase will go toward boosting financial aid system-wide. The remainder will be devoted to "student success," UH President Renu Khator said.
All vagueness aside, to devote the remainder of the increase to such an ideal is laudable. As subsequent increases in tuition and fees are planned, it is the student body’s responsibility to make sure they are represented to maintain this level of consideration of students’ needs. This requires a significant student presence at any and all forums and discussions pertaining to future increases. This also requires professors and administrators to listen to legitimate student concerns over what is needed to raise the quality and accessibility of the UH experience.
To best meet the needs of students, the students themselves must become involved. Students should voice their concerns and ideas through student organizations, petitions, meetings and participation in student government.
No longer can apathy and empty complaining be the spirit of the day. This is our future and it’s worth the investment.
Webb, a political science and creative writing senior, can be reached via [email protected]
