System looks to limit campus hikes

Campus-based tuition increases could be hard to come by in the spring if the sentiment among the UNC system's governing body remains the same.

The Board of Governors' Budget and Finance Committee debated Thursday the prospect of transplanting the tuition burden back on the N.C. General Assembly and blocking campus-specific increases.

Board member Willie Gilchrist, who proposed the resolution, said the block would be specific to in-state tuition, excluding any change in price for out-of-state students.

The state's funds - which come from taxpayer's dollars - would go toward North Carolinians.

N.C. House Co-speaker Richard Morgan, R-Moore, told the committee Thursday that the state's budget outlook is bleak at best.

"It's going to be bad," he said. "We're going to have to take a long-term look at where revenues are going to come from to fund our needs."

While Gilchrist's resolution to look unfavorably on any campus-based proposals ultimately failed, board member Peter Hans suggested a strict set of guidelines for allowing campus-initiated increases.

"There are two factors we need to consider: need and ability," he said.

Budget and Finance Chairman Jim Phillips recognized that there is a strong sense of desire among members to end these hikes.

The board froze systemwide tuition increases last year but approved campus-initiated increases of $250 at N.C. State and UNC-Chapel Hill and $225 at 13 other schools.

"I hoped this would be the year we put on the breaks," said board member Hannah Gage.

BOG member William Burns said he thinks the board should tell campuses it will be tough to get additional aid, but not impossible. He said the board still should hear proposals, just not let schools come with outrageous requests.

But BOG Chairman Brad Wilson said he doesn't think there is a clear-cut way to determine which proposals express the most need, because each university would be able to present a viable argument.

During the past couple of years, the board has resorted to tuition increases to fund enrollment growth. But legislators allotted $64 million this year to fully fund growth.

Phillips restated the possibility of including enrollment growth in the state's continuation budget -- meaning the state would fund it each year without discussion.

But Moore said that isn't likely.

"Let's say that we'll look at that," he said.

"I know that that has been a subject of controversy for awhile, and we decided to let it sit for at least last session."

The Budget and Finance Committee also voted Thursday to increase funding for laboratory and clinical time at all nursing system schools, which should help cut student costs.

Committee members also decided that they should find a way to fund research institutions so they cannot come to the board and request large sums of money, as they did last year.

Talks about tuition increases are expected to resume today at 10:30 a.m. during the full Board of Governors meeting.

Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.