May 27, 2011 in News

WSU students face 16 percent tuition hike

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Washington State University students face another tuition hike after deep funding cuts to higher education recently passed in the state Legislature.

The WSU Board of Regents is expected to approve the proposed 16 percent tuition hike in a special meeting June 6.

The tuition increase, which was recommended by the Legislature after it passed the state budget earlier this week, would raise the annual tuition paid by a typical in-state undergraduate student to $9,374. In-state graduate students will also pay 16 percent more, or $9,676 per year. Tuition for non-resident undergraduate and graduate students would increase 8 percent, to $20,652 and $22,830 respectively.

WSU President Elson Floyd expressed concern about the increase in a post to his online blog, but said the increase was necessary to protect programs and prevent even larger deficits in the university’s budget.

“Unfortunately, to maintain our programs in the face of these budget cuts, we do not have any other option,” he wrote. “Even with the revenue from this increase, and with the expectation that we will admit the largest freshman class in our history in the fall, our university will be operating with fewer dollars in the upcoming biennium than we did in 2009-2011.”

The state budget, which includes $535 million in cuts to colleges and universities and is awaiting Gov. Chris Gregoire’s signature, reduces WSU’s budgeted state appropriation by about $108 million during the 2011-2013 biennium, said WSU spokesman Darin Watkins.

That represents a 26 percent reduction in the university’s current maintenance budget level and means that, over four years, the university will have experienced a state appropriated budget reduction of 52 percent, or $231 million, he said.

Watkins said university officials have not decided on how they will bridge that 26 percent deficit.

“We took substantial cuts in administration last time,” he said. “We took substantial cuts in a number of programs that had to be eliminated. You’re going to see a mixture of all of those things again.”

However, he said, “we really do need to wait until students, administrators and faculty are back on campus before we make any large programmatic cuts. We’re postponing any major decisions until the fall.”

Tuition was increased 14 percent in the 2009-2010 biennium and another 14 percent in the 2010-2011 biennium.

Eight comments on this story so far. Add yours!

• 

  DonJulio on May 27 at 4:44 p.m.

  Good. Better that than a tax on my Butterfinger. Keep yo’ hands off my Butterfinger!

• 

  pot stirrer on May 27 at 9:16 p.m.

  meanwhile back on campus, they’re spending money like drunken sailors ! spend spend spend, even if we don’t need, all because if we don’t use it, we will lose it.. it’s all bs !

• 

  misjustice on May 27 at 10:01 p.m.

  Hawkin is spamming AGAIN! He has posted that link so many times that Addy yanked it and admonished him to stop, already…

  Glad that I got my degree before W tanked the economy and forced the false Republican’t Austerity Plan on higher education (and the rest of the nation). Grover Norquist is proud!

• 

  J_Doe on May 27 at 10:01 p.m.

  That’s ok….I just know all those little Socialist nit wits who

  marched for the unions and illegals (on campus and sanctuary

  cities, who don’t pay taxes) and having the highest min. wage in

  the country to drive businesses out of WA, (and who needs

  those “evil rich people” who pay the majority of taxes and gave

  hundreds to millions to colleges in WA…..who needs them,

  right?) they don’t mind paying

  more at all….it’s all good, right kids? It’s all worth it…come on

  kids, this is what they’re trying to teach you in school….to take

  more of your money and give it to someone else….that’s the

  goal, right?

  So the school will take more from you to help pay for the illegals

  and lazy kids who don’t want to work , but would just rather go

  to school and join “La Raza” and major in “Minority and

  Women’s Studies”, etc.

  But you all don’t mind getting another job to help them out, right?

  16 % heck, that’s just a few extra shifts at the coffee house a

  week…come on, you can do it….work harder now…remember,

  you have other people to support !

  Isn’t Socialism so totally cool?

  Hope and Change, Dude, hope and Change !

  Viva La Raza, Che and Mao Zedong !

  (PS: I think when reality hits the fan….you’ll find that Socialism

  is a harsh mistress !)

  Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha !!!!!

• 

  J_Doe on May 27 at 10:12 p.m.

  PS@ Hawkin….thanks for the link….It’s GREAT….just emailed

  it to a bunch of people!

  Keep spreading the good word, my friend !

  Sighed,
  “Evil Rich person, homophobe, racist” ! lol

• 

  Dazzeetrader11 on May 27 at 11:27 p.m.

  J…you’ve returned to “idiot” status. To raise tuition is good for many reasons.
  1. it separates out the ones who just toy with their opportunity and supports the serious ones. Serious students will pay more. J..your type are just playing around using taxpayer money.
  2. Cut’s back on the “gimmes” who waste everyone ELSE’S time…as they live of the dole.
  3. If you’re going to pay for school, don’t mess around. Your time is limited. AND YOU have to pay for your failure..not the taxpayer.
  4. I like the idea of the marchers who support silly causes having to pay for their “sins”. I don’t want my tax to pay for that. Serious school followed by contribution is what I pay for…..not the nonsense. I don’t mind supporting serious kids. Players pay for themselves.

  Free lunch is over.

• 

  J_Doe on May 28 at 12:25 a.m.

  Dazzee…CLEARLY sarcasm escapes you….I cannot help you ,

  you are limted by your deminished mental capacity…..

  Sorry, you’re a lost cause.

• 

  connemara on April 18 at 4:53 p.m.

  J doe has no concept of historic Federal legislation{see legislation today/congressional Records/ussenate.gov/ect/ect Fy’s1981-09 and fy’s2001-09}If he did he would unhook his brain stem from FOXJONESTOWNER News and learn for the first time in his life how the REPUB’s party destoryed the middle classes.The Repub’s broke historic World deficit spending record under Reagan/Bush2{11 TRILLION}plus Borrowed TRILLIONS off the entiltement programs and give it to the upper 3% who now control over 40 TRILLION Dollars while you shine their shoes and lick the butts.The Repub’s have no problem with socialism for the upper 3% last 40 years and Now that theyrape all the social progams of .s.s/medicare/civilservice/railroad paid in retirement program they want the rest of the 97% to refill the coffers.The Repub’s have never passed Federal Legislation with any numbers of a majority of their party at the time that went directly to small business and or the middle classes UNLESS the majority of the funds went to BIG Business first.I would again suggest to J Doe to get off his a-s and do some due some research instead of pugging in to fairly tale land!