New legislation may allow public Colorado universities to raise tuition without state input, according to the Colorado Senate Bill 10-003.
Section 5-7 of the bill claims that “where institutions are currently subject to the state fiscal rules, the bill allows the institutions to adopt their own rules.”
Deborah M�ndez-Wilson, director of communications at CU, said even though legislation passed, the university might not alter tuition.
�It�s hard to know right now,� M�ndez-Wilson said. �No matter the state decides, the Board of Regents is the final check and balance in tuition setting.�
According to the CU Web site, in-state tuition for CU is $7,932 and out-of-state tuition is $28,186.
With a greater rise in college expenses, students said they worry about affording school.
Nick Boyce, a 22-year-old junior physics major, said he disagrees with the possible change.
�The state can change [tuition] however the state feels like it, but I don�t think the university can increase out-of-state and in-state,� Boyce said. �I already have a part-time job through the college. There�s not much more I can do.�
Paige Petrucka, a 22-year-old senior biochemistry major, said she expects the change to put stress on future students.
�I won�t be here for much longer,� Petrucka said. �I think it will impact future students negatively.�
Petrucka also said she thinks students should have a vote in tuition prices.
�People don�t want to pay more without voting on it,� Petrucka said.
Boyce said he disagrees with the lack of public input on tuition policy.
�It�s making a public school into a private school,� Boyce said. �What�s the point of state funding? Ideally, the public controls public schools via the state.�
According to the Colorado Department of the Treasury’s statistics through December 2009, the total balance including federal revenue and expenditures from July 2008 to June 2009 was negative $399.1 million. By cutting funding to colleges, the state can begin to use saved money to climb out of debt.
However, M�ndez-Wilson said that if the tuition does increase, the money will go toward a good cause: financial aid.
�We reinvest a lot of tuition money in financial aid,� M�ndez-Wilson said. �This year, $105 million of financial aid from tuition revenues helped make college available to students.�
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Jennifer Retter at Jennifer.retter@colorado.edu.