The state Board of Regents preliminarily approved a $100 tuition surcharge for the spring semester, but an increase won’t be decided officially until December.
The surcharge would garner roughly 10 percent of the funds needed to meet cuts in the regent budget. UI President Sally Mason said it would bring in about $2.1 million for the UI.
Regents approved the surcharge by the smallest of margins, passing it by a vote of 5 to 4.
Regent President David Miles, who voted in favor of the proposal, said he was opposed to the idea in principle, but felt it needed to be done.
“I do not favor the idea of a $100 surcharge for our students at this late a date,” Miles said. “But I think it’s reasonable.”
Miles cited the need to “share the pain” of the budget cuts, the unprecedented nature of the reductions, and the need to take swift action to meet the cuts as reasons for his support of the surcharge.
Regent Ruth Harkin said she was against the surcharge, saying institutions should pursue alternative options before placing mid-year price increases on students.
“I think there is still a lot of runway in these budgets,” Harkin said.
Regent Craig Lang said he was also opposed to the surcharge, saying the only time tuition should be set is at the beginning of the semester.
The vote came after the student body presidents for the three regent universities presented their concerns to the board. Both Jonathan Turk, ISU’s student body president, and Adam Haselhuhn, president at UNI, said they did not support the tuition surcharge.
“$100 is not pocket change. That’s $100 towards rent, towards utilities…” Turk said. “I cannot in good conscience support a 6 percent tuition increase.”
UISG President Mike Currie was the only student government leader who supported the surcharge, although he made it clear he did so reluctantly.
“It’s not that I’m happy,” Currie said. ” I just think it’s the right thing to do.”
