Board passes hike in cost

The UNC-system’s governing body quickly approved tuition hikes last week for out-of-state and graduate students at 12 campuses, along with a range of student fee increases.

UNC-Chapel Hill will see increases next year of $700 for nonresident undergraduates, as well as graduate tuition hikes of $200 for residents and $950 for nonresidents. Student fees also will be upped by a total of $155.50.

The decision likely will come as a relief to campus officials across the UNC system who have looked to campus-initiated hikes to fund university priorities.

The Board of Governors voted last month against any increases to in-state undergraduate tuition — a move that Chairman Brad Wilson said put a “sharper focus” on the need for nonresident and graduate hikes.

Prior to Thursday’s vote by the board’s Budget and Finance Committee, UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor James Moeser and Student Body President Matt Calabria appeared unified in their presentation of a last-minute change in the University’s proposal.

“The issue that emerges for us now … is concern on our campus about the relationship between resident and nonresident tuition,” Moeser told the committee.

To maintain an “appropriate” balance, Moeser and Calabria agreed to trim the University’s request for an out-of-state, undergraduate tuition increase to $700.

The initial proposal called for a $950 boost in nonresident undergraduate tuition.

“We did not want to send signals — unintended signals — to (out-of-state)students that they were valued only for their checkbooks,” Moeser said.

The initial proposal for a $700 hike came from Calabria and Charlie Anderson, speaker of Student Congress. Consultations last week between Calabria and Jim Phillips, chairman of the Budget and Finance Committee, led to an agreement between Moeser and the students.

“Anytime you can have all of the interested parties come to an agreement that this is the right thing to do, and then bring it to the Board of Governors, it makes our decision a whole lot easier,” Wilson said.

UNC-CH also amended its athletics fee proposal, winning approval for a $100 increase instead of the initially requested $52 for the coming year. The hike brings the fee to $198, and Moeser said the university will ask for an additional $50 hike next year.

At its Jan. 27 meeting, the University’s Board of Trustees approved a plan to raise the fee by $150 during the next two years.

The proposal had been the subject of controversy on campus, with student leaders alleging there hadn’t been sufficient time to review it. Members of the Student Fee Audit Committee and the Chancellor’s Committee on Student Fees expressed disapproval of the hike.

But Calabria, while maintaining the review process was rushed, told the Budget and Finance Committee on Thursday that students ultimately support the increase.

“We felt this was appropriate,” he said. “The priorities of the athletic fee are important to us.”

The only fee proposal that didn’t win the board’s approval came from UNC-Pembroke, which is seeking a $140 boost in its athletics fee to fund the creation of a football team.

Budget and Finance Committee members couldn’t reach a consensus after more than an hour of debate, so the measure was tabled until next month’s meeting.

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