Low tuition hike continues to mystify students

By KHYBER OSER
Collegian Staff Writer

Although this year's 3.7 percent increase in tuition represents the lowest raise in eight years, many students are wondering how long tuition will remain on the rise.

Because Penn State is a public institution, the burden of a tuition increase should somehow be shouldered by state or federal funding rather than by students' private financial support, Brittany Huffman (sophomore-psychology) said.

The rate at which tuition increased each year has declined in general during this decade. Penn State and its Board of Trustees strive to keep tuition increases as low as possible, Alan Janesch, assistant manager of the Department of Public Information, said in an earlier press release.

Pennsylvania resident undergraduate students at University Park now pay $2,920 per semester in their first two years of study and $3,022 in their last two years.

Yet students do not always know why the increases in tuition are necessary.

Jessica Murphy (senior-marketing) said she feels uninformed about where the increase in tuition money is being used.

"If (tuition) has to increase, I'd like to know why and what for," Murphy said. "I don't feel like they inform the students on where the money's going."

In addition to the tuition increase, two mandatory fees -- the information technology and the student activity fees -- have increased by 26 percent. The information technology fee has jumped from $75 to $90 for full-time students and the student activity fee has risen from $25 to $36.

As long as the increased fees are used for students and student clubs, Steven Gilbert (senior-integrative arts) said he does not mind paying a little extra money.

Gilbert, a disc jockey at WKPS-FM (90.7), hopes the student-run radio station will be able to improve its facilities thanks to the increased activity fee.

"If student-run clubs, like our student-run radio station, see the benefits come back to us in new equipment which is badly needed, then I would see that (the tuition increases) could be a positive thing," Gilbert said.

• Tuition increases for next semester - July 13, 1998