Tuition increases strangling Utah students

It's common knowledge that when there's a budget crunch, you have to tighten your belt. But out-of-control tuition increases have tightened Utah students' belts so much they can't breathe.

Utah students understand that in trying economic times, governments don't receive as much in tax revenue. Accordingly, funding for education has gone down and tuition has gone up. Students acknowledge that small increases make sense. But disproportionate increases don't. At the University of Utah, tuition has gone up almost 30 percent in the past three years, and at Utah Valley State College tuition has skyrocketed about 50 percent in the past two years. This kind of tuition-increase hemorrhaging will bleed the state dry of its most valuable human resource: an educated work force.

Gov. Mike Leavitt agrees with this sentiment. At his State of the State address, he said, "I am [concerned] that tuition increases are beginning to price the average family in Utah out of higher education. One of our greatest strengths is a highly educated work force, another reason to put education first."

Devoting almost half of its budget to primary education, the state Legislature clearly understands the importance of educating Utah's children. But those children grow up. Providing them with a healthy higher-education system prepares them to enter the work force strong, and opens the door for economic prosperity.

We have faith that legislators will follow Leavitt's pro-student, pro-education lead. Students know that state dollars are at a premium now, and no budget can hope to avoid trimming, but the best way to help Utah out of the economic crunch is to fund higher education.

One of President Bush's solutions out of the economic slump is to cut taxes. When taxes are lower, people can invest more in business, and the economy grows. If you raise taxes during a recession, the recession will continue because people have less to spend. This sound fiscal principle applies to education as well. Tuition is another kind of tax, and the more tuition increases, the more time it takes students to get through college, which plugs up the system for younger, up-and-coming students and decreases the amount of educated workers coming into the job force. It's trickle-down "edu"-nomics.

Trying to make the tuition pill easier to swallow, some emphasize the fact that Utah tuition is lower than the national average. While true, that fact is highly misleading. The tuition Utah students pay may be lower than what our counterparts pay nationally, but Utah students face financial realities others don't, such as (1) an average earlier marriage age, (2) a lower median family income, (3) a higher number of children per family, (4) a higher number of students who pay their own tuition instead of their parents and (5) a statewide financial aid system that's at the bottom of the list nationally.

Also, while Utah tuition is lower compared with the nation, it's comparable with other states within the Intermountain West. Officials who wave the old "tuition's cheap in Utah!" flag won't find a lot of people saluting it.

To let the Legislature hear our voices, the Utah Student Association held a student rally on Capitol Hill Feb. 12. We're also organizing a statewide letter-writing campaign, helping students contact their representatives and remind them how important higher- ed funding is. Utah students are no strangers to the political process. Last fall, more than 2,000 students registered to vote during a weeklong Rock the Vote event at the University of Utah. Two years ago, student leaders lobbied for the "Truth in Tuition" bill, which forces university officials to disclose how they plan to spend the extra dollars they ask students to pay.

Utah students are preparing themselves to become leaders of the state. By supporting students, the Legislature is supporting Utah's future.

Bill Edwards is president of the Utah Student Association

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