Students Show Their Support for Tuition Cap

By Johnson, Charles S

HELENA – University students from across the state squeezed into a crowded hearing room Tuesday to urge legislators to approve Gov. Brian Schweitzer’s two-year tuition freeze for Montana residents.

Schweitzer’s College Affordability Plan, worked out in an agreement with the state Board of Regents, would provide $50 million in additional state money to the university system to cover projected, fixedcost budget increases over the next two years.

In exchange, the regents would not raise tuition for in-state students for two years.

Students, strapped with heavy debts, told the Joint Appropriations Subcommittee on Education that they strongly support the plan.

The students’ stories were similar. They’ve struggled to keep up with fast-rising tuition as the state has paid an ever-smaller share of the cost of higher education the past 15 years.

James Greer, a senior at the University of Montana, said he will graduate with $25,000 in student loans and other debts, despite also working 15 hours a week. He hopes to attend graduate school, which could plunge him another $25,000 in debt.

“Something in the system is broken,” Greer said.

As students graduate with heavy debt burdens, staying in Montana becomes less likely for many – as they may need to take higher- paying jobs out of state to repay their loans, he said. That leads to what Greer called a “brain drain” from Montana.

Samantha Clawson, student body president at Montana State University-Northern, said in an interview she will graduate with a debt approaching $30,000. It is taking her five years to obtain degrees in liberal studies and communications in part because she worked two or three jobs throughout college. She aspires to attend law school.

“We’ll soon be priced out of what students can afford,” Clawson told the committee.

Tara Ness, a UM student government leader, said she’s met a number of students who attend college for a semester, only to drop out for a semester to save up to help pay for another semester. That prolongs the amount of time it takes students to earn their bachelor’s degrees.

“Please decide to give priority to the College Affordability Plan,” she said.

Agreeing was Scott Martin, an MSU-Billings student leader, “It is an important plan that will stop the rising cost of tuition.”

Curtis Andersen, a Montana Tech student with $15,000 in loans, added, “The debt is getting to be overwhelming.”

Tuition and fees at four-year Montana state campuses have increased by an average of 8.2 percent annually since 1998, university system statistics show. For community colleges, tuition and fees have jumped by an average of 7.3 percent a year, followed by a 5 percent increase for two-year campuses.

Schweitzer’s $50 million plan would cover 85 percent of the university system’s total increase in fixed costs for the next two years. Tuition for out-of-state students would be raised to make up the remaining 15 percent.

The subcommittee took no immediate action on the budget.

Copyright The Missoulian Jan 24, 2007

(c) 2007 Missoulian. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.