The business of raising tuition is far too serious a concern for oversimplification of any kind. The Nov. 6 editorial "Coming Up Short" fails to address the issue with the consideration it deserves.
It is not the responsibility of the University to fund enrollment growth. We have stated our position on this matter publicly any number of times. It continues to be our stance as members of the Tuition Task Force, and this administration will continue to hold the state legislature responsible for funding its own initiatives -- at the very least, funding our operating expenses, securing baseline salaries for faculty and staff and ensuring that enrollment growth does not adversely affect the quality of our educations.
The University is responsible for correcting the inequalities that hold us back from fulfilling our mission of providing education and service to the state of North Carolina. Our teaching assistants do not make salaries comparable to their national peers. We continue to lose graduate students who simply cannot afford their education. The Institutional Research Center has published a report that describes the difference between the salaries of male and female professors -- in 2002, female professors of identical qualifications and experience will receive $1,332 less than their male counterparts. Student leadership on the task force is aware of these disparities, and we are working for a solution that will direct generated revenue to correcting them -- not only because they are unjust but because they directly impact the quality of education on this campus.
The Editorial Board suggests that any successful tuition plan ought to correct our rising student-to-faculty ratio. We wish it were that easy. Revenue generated from tuition increase is not the solution to that problem -- no realistic figure we might suggest would begin to put a dent in it. The board also fails to appreciate the need to juggle numbers when determining the final portion of a tuition increase to be channeled into financial aid. Let us be clear on this point -- we will not budge from our commitment to at least 40 percent of any new tuition dollars being directed to need-based aid for students.
The Editorial Board is absolutely correct in that the task force has been charged with creating a long-term plan for tuition increase. However, UNC-system Board of Governors Chairman Brad Wilson told student leaders in a meeting last month that the BOG would only approve tuition plans spanning two to three years. The University community cannot possibly know what budget constraints we will face in the near future. We can and will discuss placing a cap on tuition increases but cannot change the reality that the state is reeling from its worst budget shortfall since the Great Depression and that our foresight is limited to the information at hand.
However, we are in absolute agreement with the Editorial Board in the need for dialogue. Students need to be aware of this issue, and we urge anyone with concerns to speak their mind and let us know.
Jen Daum
Co-Chairwoman
Tuition Task Force
Rebekah Burford
Member
Tuition Task Force
The length rule was waived.
