With state appropriations still in flux, Penn State President Graham Spanier told the Penn State Board of Trustees on Friday that students could see an increase in tuition for spring 2010 -- though only under the "most dire circumstances."
As the state legislature reconvenes today, Spanier said he hopes lawmakers will reach a conclusion. If the bill they are discussing passes as written, there will be no increase in the spring, he said. He did not release specific figures.
"The last thing we want to do is raise tuition in the middle of the year," Spanier said. "The state makes it hard for us to be as open and transparent as we would like to be."
Trustee Keith Eckel addressed the board, saying the situation doesn't only affect the university.
"This is not just a challenge to a great university, but 94,000 students and their families," Eckel said.
Some members of the University Park Undergraduate Association (UPUA) are taking action to ensure Penn State students do not see an increase in tuition. UPUA Governmental Affairs Committee Chairwoman Colleen Smith said her committee will send letters to the majority and minority whips and Speaker of the House in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, as well as to members of pertinent committees.
Up to 15 members of the House could receive one of these letters, Smith (sophomore-biology) said, urging the legislators to acknowledge the importance of education and the negative impact this impasse could have on the future of Penn State students.
"This next week is going to be really critical in seeing what happens," Smith said.
While a tuition hike next semester is possible, room and board rates are set to increase by 2.45 percent for fall 2010.
Students will pay $100 more for a double-occupancy room and a Level Three meal plan, said Gail Hurley, associate vice president for auxiliary and business services.
This is the smallest increase in 20 years. By removing landline phone access in dorm rooms, the university has saved $700,000, she said.
"We're continuing to provide a high-quality experience," Hurley said. "We're making it affordable, and that has to be attractive to students."
Despite a decline in the economy and increasing costs, enrollment and applications to Penn State have increased.
The total enrollment this fall is 94,301 students, a 2 percent increase from last year, said Robert Pangborn, vice president and dean of undergraduate education. Of those, 42,998 students are enrolled at the University Park campus, and more international and minority students are enrolled than ever before, he said.
Reflecting the increase in enrollment, Penn State received 109,031 applications for the fall semester, said Anne Rohrbach, executive director of undergraduate admissions.
Beyond the set agenda, trustees discussed major problems facing students during the fall semester.
Calling binge drinking the "single greatest challenge facing higher education," Spanier said everyone must help to solve this problem.
"I don't know if we can change the world, but we are trying," he said.
Trustees also asked Spanier about the status of the H1N1 virus on campus. After more than 2,000 cases and four hospitalizations at Penn State, Spanier said the number of infected students appears to be leveling off.
The average number of cases is currently 250 per week, though the rate decreased last week, he said. He urged students to get vaccinated.
