The sound of crickets chirping would have been an appropriate ambience during the tuition and fees open forum on Thursday in the Horizon Room of the Idaho Commons. During the presentation by University of Idaho Executive Director of Planning Keith Ickes discussing the proposed 4.7 percent tuition increase, there were less than 20 students, faculty and staff members in attendance.
Of those few people there, only one student was not affiliated with GPSA, ASUI or SBA — senior Rachael Studebaker. Hats off to Studebaker for taking time to attend the event, but low attendance numbers show a disturbing trend of student disinterest regarding important changes.
The open forum was an opportunity for students to learn about how the proposed tuition increase would be spent and for UI leadership to collect feedback from students. The forum was also the last step in the tuition and fee setting process before the April State Board of Education meeting.
UI leadership demonstrated openness to students, faculty and staff by providing them with a chance to be included in the tuition and fee setting process. Since students will be shouldering the burden of paying for the tuition increase, it’s unfortunate that students did not take the chance to learn where their money was going. Next time a student complains about rising tuition, they should remember that when given the chance, they’ve chosen not to participate in the process, learn about what is going on or to make their voice heard.
It’s great fun to complain about things after they’re put into effect, but the fact remains that very few students at UI do anything other than complain. As last week’s forum shows, they certainly don’t take action to educate themselves on campus issues.
At the forum, Ickes performed the critical function of breaking down the general education budget — $180 million of UI’s $370 million budget — and detailed the challenges UI hopes to address with the tuition hike. UI wants to use the tuition increase to fund part of the 2.2 percent increase in Change in Employee Compensation, address rising medical expenses for employee insurance and address mandatory and decision-based obligations.
Most students, faculty and staff members missed a great opportunity to learn about the tuition increase from those who created it. In the future, everyone affected by important issues such as tuition increases should take the chances offered by UI leadership to communicate concerns and ask questions.
–AE