Texas students, get out those stamps and envelopes and get ready to write your senators.
Texas senators proposed two bills Monday that, if passed, would greatly benefit students attending Texas universities.
Texas Senate Bill 105 would freeze tuition for two years, The Houston Chronicle reported, after which tuition could only increase at the rate of inflation. The bill could help stymie the damage a previously passed piece of legislation has been causing.
On Sept. 1, 2003, the Texas Legislature passed what we feel has become one of the most burdensome bills for students. Bill HB 3015 took the tuition rate out of the hands of the state and placed it in those of individual universities. Prior to that, the state generally set standard tuition rates across the state.
The bill did not set an upper limit for tuition, and since its passing tuition at public four-year universities has increased 53 percent, the Chronicle reported.
We have certainly felt the effects of this bill at UH. Tuition and fees increased 5.9 percent this fall and 6.9 percent in Fall 2007. That means students taking 12 hours this fall paid an additional $185, on top of the increases that have been stacking up for 5 years.
In total, UH has seen a 67 percent increase in tuition and fees, the Chronicle reported in June.
On top of that, average course fees rose 107 percent from 2003 to 2007, the Chronicle reported, increasing to $616 from $298. The proposed bill would also require the approval of a majority of students for any fees not outlined by law.
Students already struggling to make ends meet will find themselves deeper in debt as costs continue to soar. If the proposed moratorium passes, it will give many a two-year window in which to complete their degree before accruing more costs.
Another proposed bill would grant Texas more funding for top-tier universities, a post UH is striving for.
While the University is working to achieve flagship status, it has not yet been clear whether the state will actually fund another flagship school. Should the bill pass, it would make achieving flagship status much more likely for UH.
The bills won’t be up for discussion until Jan. 13, when session begins, but that leaves plenty of time to write your senators and ask for support.
