Task force OKs tuition increases for professional schools

The Tuition and Fee Advisory Task Force voted Thursday to approve several tuition increases for UNC professional schools. Its recommendations will be passed on to the Chancellor and Board of Trustees for the 2015-16 academic year.

One of the proposed increases was for the UNC Medical School, which, if approved, would raise tuition by 13.2 percent for North Carolina residents and 5.5 percent for non-residents.

Despite tuition increases for this year, UNC has the lowest undergraduate resident tuition and fees out of its peer group of institutions as defined by the UNC General Administration.

“For nonresident tuition, UNC is also within the bottom quartile,” said Dwayne Pinkney, vice provost for finance and academic planning.

The task force also decided to submit a proposed tuition increase for the UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School of 8.8 percent for state residents and 3.7 percent for nonresidents.

Proposed tuition increases for the UNC School of Dentistry and the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy were less than 5 percent.

After discussing the current status of UNC tuition and fees, the task force spent the majority of the next hour discussing cuts and increases presented by the Student Fee Advisory Subcommittee, a group composed of representatives from the student body, faculty, staff and provost’s office.

SFAS approved fees for students in the School of Dentistry ranging from $300 to $900 for clinical technology. Members considered the proposals detailed and appropriate.

“The students were satisfied with the outcome here,” said Laurie Burroughs, business manager for finance and administration.

One fee increase that was contentious was the fee for Chapel Hill Transit and Safe Ride.

This year, the Advisory Committee on Transportation requested an $18.75 increase for transit services, which the Student Fees Advisory Subcommittee approved. The transit committee also requested a $9 increase, which it also requested in 2013 before it was denied. The committee brought that combined request to the task force meeting for approval on Thursday, but the task force did not reach a consensus on the total fee increase.

Members of the Student Fee Advisory Committee took issue with how the transit committee had developed its five-year financial plan.

Student Body President Andrew Powell said the plan involved little student input and was at odds with the individual fees reviewed by the student committee on a yearly basis.

Students will work with the Advisory Committee on Transportation to develop its plans in the future, Powell said.

“We’ll be heavily involved and bringing the highest level of scrutiny to the entirety of the five-year plan with the expectation that, once that five-year plan is approved, then that serves as a commitment to those fee increases that will be levied,” he said.

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