President Michael Crow speaks at a hearing about the proposed 3 percent tuition increase for ASU students next year. (Photo by Sean Logan)University students and faculty differed on a proposed tuition increase at a hearing held by the Arizona Board of Regents on Wednesday evening.
ASU has proposed a 3 percent tuition increase for the 2013-14 school year for all on-campus students, graduate and undergraduate, and a 4 percent increase per credit hour for students who take their classes online.
During the ABOR hearing, ASU, UA and NAU administrators, student government representatives and students responded to the universities' proposed tuition plans to a panel of ABOR representatives.
ASU President Michael Crow said the tuition plan is a modest method of financing a re-engineering of ASU while still keeping ASU accessible.
"We're trying to deliver a fantastic process at the lowest possible price," Crow said. "What individual students need to do is go to the financial aid office. We will continue to maintain a financial aid environment for our students." Crow promised students in 2012 that tuition at ASU would not be raised by more than 3 percent. He said the tuition increase will be used to fund the Strategic Enterprise Framework, a plan to establish ASU as the New American University by improving ASU's research, entrepreneurship and student success.
Tempe Undergraduate Student Government President Mark Naufel said at the hearing that he supports the proposed tuition increase.
"I know it's hard, and no one wants to see an increase, but we're at a university where we're putting new buildings online," Naufel said. "Do we want to advance our University?"
All five ASU student governments supported the tuition proposal.
Naufel said ASU is doing all it can to keep tuition reasonable, but the tuition increase is a realistic response to inflation and reduced state funding.
"The University is committed to affordability," Naufel said. "ASU will always strive to make the University accessible, but it will also always make efforts to better itself."
Melissa Pizzo, executive director of ASU Student Financial Assistance, said there are plenty of options for students who are concerned about a possible tuition increase.
"I can understand the concern," she said. "We work with concerned students every day, but there are a lot of different ways for students to try and pay for college."
Pizzo recommended that students fill out the FAFSA and apply for as much financial aid as they can. "We wish students all the best and we will do everything we can to help," Pizzo said.
Business communications freshman William Lawrence said he does not support the proposed tuition increase, especially as an out-of-state student.
"ASU is a good school, and I like what it's doing for me, but the priority is making school affordable for students," Lawrence said. "They need to invest in students."
ABOR will consider feedback from the hearing when it votes on each university's tuition proposals during its board meeting on April 4 and 5. If the board votes to pass ASU's proposal, ASU students will see a 3 percent tuition increase for the 2013-14 school year.
According to ASU's executive summary of the tuition proposal, tuition will increase between $249 and $276 per year for undergraduate resident students and between $606 and $675 per year for nonresident undergraduate students.
Resident graduate students can expect to pay $299 more and nonresident graduate students $736 more.
Anyone who is concerned about a potential tuition increase but was unable to attend the hearing can email ABOR at attuition@azregents.edu.
Reach the reporter at jwthrall@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @jthrall1
