Tuition Cap Removed= Loss of Student Protection
What is a basic protection? It is a minimum standard of treatment. We have the minimum wage, which may not be adequate, but we can rely on it. Governments have a constitution as outline of behavior. We even have a bill of rights, a promise of protection on certain issues.
And we HAD a tuition cap in Idaho. A minimum promise that the State Board of Education gave us about *even the possibility* of tuition increases remaining below 10% in one year. They have revoked their promise.
Asking to remove the 10% tuition cap, even if it is just for 1 year, is asking us to give up our right of basic protection from excessive budget increases. Just like the patriot act, we are asked to give up some of our liberty (in this case the protection of excessive tuition increases) for the safety of the university. The Universities are afraid they won't have enough money to function. Which is fair, but it is not fair to put on the backs of us who make the university exist. Without students, the university wouldn't exist.
It all reminds me of the Benjamin Franklin quote about liberty.
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty or safety".
Quoting James Fletcher, the university’s vice president of finance and administration, From the Journal today, he said "the State Board’s decision has mistakenly been interpreted as a green light for universities to impose severe tuition hikes."
He is right. Nobody is currently actively campaigning to raise tuition by more than 10%. And he further says "we would never make that decision until we’ve gone through a period of (seeing) what our options are.” He's right, they wouldn't, but they could wait for that period to be, oh how about, the summer when there are far fewer students around keeping up with the topic. It isn't uncommon for the U, or the Student Union to make the changes when no one is around to comment. But most likely, they will expect the student apathy to inform the "option".
To wait until there is an emergency is the worst way to live a life. This constant fighting of fires, rather than solving the problem, is time consuming and energy inefficient. The administrations of Idaho universities know this. This is why they didn't oppose the cap removal. They are thinking about their own sustainability, even at the expense of those they serve-the tuition and fee paying students. They don't want to have to fight that fire before it happens. And they expect us to let it burn.
Fletcher calls it "premature" to worry about tuition increases. Is it really premature for students to say, "Hey, I think 10% is a lot. It is the maximum, I as an Idahoan, believe would be fair for students to have to deal with in the middle of their education. Let us work together to guarantee a MINIMUM protection of 10%." Now the State Board comes out with this 5-1 vote that says higher education students don't need any minimum protection. No safety net, no guarantees. "Premature" means "planning ahead" here in student reality. As my favorite pink shirt says "End the next war NOW". Boy Scouts work to "be prepared” and you may know that "a stitch in time saves 9".
I find this absolutely unacceptable! But so what. I'm just one student. I'm going to grad school next fall, and I will not be spending any more of my money on higher education in Idaho. I hate Idaho, but I hate Idaho like I hate my siblings. You can never really hate your family. You may dislike them, but your commitment and care for them transcends any one particular action. I may never forgive Idaho for their ignorance, or the students at ISU who don't bother to do anything about this. But let me explain what we can do to show our love even when we are angry.
If you and I and others who read this get together, we could plan something. Anyone who finds this removal of student's rights in the State of Idaho offensive should contact me at 208-232-5942. My e-mail is paindian@isu.edu, and you can Facebook message me.
And just one more thing about how this happened.
The State Board of Education made this decision. The Administration of the other universities in Idaho was complicit at worst, and complacent at best, with their suggestion and decision.
The State Board is appointed by the Governor of Idaho. The Administrations of the University are also appointed by the State Board of Education in Idaho.
The Governor is elected. If the State Board does not respect students' basic rights, then we need to take this to their boss, Gov. Butch Otter. Luckily 2010 is an election year and we have the chance to get those running for governor to promise in the future to only appoint board members who promise us our basic rights. Now is the time to act. The affordability of Academic Fall 2010 could be at stake.
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