The Barriers To Education That Tuition Hikes Place On Students
The chair of the House Higher Ed Committee wonders if he and leaders of the University of Hawaii live in two different worlds.
University of Hawaii officials recently proposed a 2 percent increase in tuition for each of the next three years.
But they’re not just talking about 2 percent. Those increases are cumulative. In other words, by the third year the increase really amounts to a 6 percent jump! Moreover, those increases will more than likely remain even after the six years are over.
Local students are being saddled with huge financial burdens and tuition has become a serious barrier to higher education in Hawaii. This is a trend that is not only unsustainable, but comes at the expense of our students and their families.
Sometimes when I talk to the UH management, I feel like we live in two different worlds. They see the university as a research-focused institution whose purpose is to create employment opportunities, drive Hawaii’s economy and make discoveries that could change the world.
I see the university a little differently. I see students, lots and lots of students. Students who grew up in Hawaii, graduated from our public schools and will lead productive lives that contribute to the fabric of our community.
We have forgotten that this very vulnerable segment of our community cannot stand the financial burden UH has placed on them: student loans. In 2010, for the first time ever in our nation’s history, student loans surpassed credit card debt, auto loans and home equity loans. UH students are not exempt from this trend.
You have seen and read many of the initiatives that the state House of Representatives have proposed to mitigate this growing crisis of student debt. Many of the changes include looking at administrative bloat and costs, better management of construction projects, self-sustaining professional school or programs that are outside of the core competencies needed for students.
We also asked research units that do not teach classes to look within themselves for savings so that diminishing taxpayer dollars can be reallocated to our students.
Budget Pressures Call For Creativity, Hard Choices
In the past, the Legislature was able to fund all state departments and agencies, including public universities, through general funds. However, because of increasing pressures from all segments of society, most states (including Hawaii) are finding less funds available for higher education.
Given this reality, I have tried to impress upon those who lead UH two important facts:
First, the university needs to make a conscious effort to look at all expenditures and employ creative ways to shift costs away from general funds and tuition to new sources of revenue. The time for even small increases in student tuition MUST end.
Given the recent decision to continue raising tuition, the only choice facing many students is to walk away from a college education.
Second, when it comes to general funds, UH is competing with all of the other pressing needs of the state, including homelessness, public safety, highways, airports, social services and K-12 education. Just as lawmakers must balance the needs of the whole, so we have asked UH officials to do the same with their budgets, including research organizations.
That was the point of providing UH with the flexibility of lump sum budgeting – to allow those who are closest to the issues to make the hard choices and prioritize students.
As the state budget evolves, the university’s budget must also evolve to reflect our core mission of developing and educating students. The solution of least resistance is to raise tuition on our most vulnerable population. This may be the easiest route for management to take but will have lasting and devastating consequences on our state and our future.
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