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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Tuition Hikes Squeeze Students More Carry Heavy Burden Of Debt As Costs Skyrocket In Last Decade

Tom Roeder Staff writer

Over the past decade, tuition at state colleges and universities has ballooned - rising twice as fast as personal income.

Since 1985, tuition jumped 131 percent at the University of Washington and Washington State University, from $1,308 to $3,021 per year.

Over the same period, the percentage of the state budget going to higher education has dropped by nearly a fourth.

Students now pay more than 41 percent of the cost of their education, compared to about 20 percent in 1974.

The rising costs are driving more students than ever to borrow money for school. The debt load of the average WSU senior rose 87 percent in five years, from $2,968 in 1990 to $5,562 in 1995.

Students shouldn’t expect much relief from this year’s Legislature. One of the few higher education bills likely to pass this session would charge students an extra $120 to pay for high technology.

A report by the State Office of Financial Management recommends another $256 in tuition increases by 1997 to help pay for growing enrollments.

With few exceptions, legislators pledge to reverse the trend.

“It makes it almost impossible for our young people to get higher education,” said Sen. Valoria Loveland, D-Pasco.

A bill to limit tuition increases to the growth of state per capita income passed the Senate Wednesday.

But the same bill failed in the House last year because it also set mandatory increases in state spending to match tuition hikes. House Republicans say the bill will die again this year.

“The students are in the minority out there, and they don’t have the opportunity to exert pressure,” said Sen. Al Bauer, D-Vancouver, who supported the tuition limit. “We went back on our promises about not raising tuition before. We can’t do that again.”

Rep. Ken Jacobsen, D-Seattle, doesn’t think tuition is too high. In fact, he calls it a bargain compared to private institutions.

Jacobsen said the state’s low tuition costs contribute to budget problems and cutbacks at the universities.

The University of Washington last year eliminated some of its Communications Department programs because of a lack of money.

“If UW students had accepted a $300 increase in tuition, they could have saved the Slavic language and communications programs,” Jacobsen said.

But Gus Kravas, Washington State University vice provost for student affairs, said tuition hikes are taking their toll. “The bottom line is our students are leaving the university more indebted than they ever used to be.”

Kravas said more students are working and going to school, many spending long hours on the job after finishing their classes.

“They know that a college education is a great investment,” he said. “They can’t afford not to have it, but they’re being forced to shoulder a disproportionate amount of the burden.”

Students who find good jobs after graduation will pay enough in taxes to more than reimburse the state for their education, Kravas said.

Washington Student Lobby supports the bill to limit tuition increases to the growth in per-capita income. Executive Director Keith Boyd said the group changed its position from fighting all tuition increases to support of the smallest possible increases.

“What we’ve come to recognize is that tuition increases are inevitable,” Boyd said. “If the state is willing to meet us half way we can take that.”

Justin Franke, student body president at Eastern Washington University, said waning state support forces the college to go begging for money.

“It’s really moving toward more private money to pay for our programs,” Franke said. “As far as not increasing the budget, I’m fully ready to take my share of the cut but they shouldn’t have been taking any cuts from higher education.”

A college education is almost a necessity for job seekers in Spokane County. “Anymore it’s a precursor for getting a job interview in Spokane,” County Commissioner Steve Hasson said.

“I would say that eight out of 10 jobs in Spokane that pay $50,000-plus require a college degree,” said Pat Bopray, a recruiter for the Spokane-based Executive Search company.

Rep. Lisa Brown, D-Spokane, said the state isn’t keeping its promises to higher education.

“We all know higher education does not just benefit the individual,” Brown said. “We have businesses screaming for more educated employees. We need to provide them.”

Sen. Eugene Prince, R-Thornton, said the tuition increases are slowly driving the middle class from college.

“We are creating two privileged classes that can attend college,” Prince said, “the poor people that have financial aid to cover it and the rich who can afford to pay for it.”

, DataTimes