March 7 , 2006
NEWSTuition hike has students asking why?
Student tuition may increase again, but why?
That’s exactly what the Associated Students of Mesa Community College and the rest of the student body at MCC wants to know.
A student forum was held in front of the clock tower on Feb. 27 to present the proposal to MCC students and address questions. The problem was that ASMCC had little time and information to promote the event, as they were caught off guard regarding this situation, according to ASMCC President Jeffrey Linford.
“We didn’t know that this proposal was going to be addressed until a few days ago,” Linford said. “ASMCC is in the same position as the rest of the students on campus. We only had a few days to get the word out that a tuition raise was being proposed, giving us little time to prepare for a student forum,” Linford added.
District speaker Gaye Murphy came to MCC to present what the district thinks about possible tuition changes. A two-page guide was given to students attending the forum. Murphy explained what the guide was seeking as far as tuition and fee changes.
Linford intended for Murphy to stay afterward to discuss concerns from students, but Murphy left before the forum was over.
“I just really want to stress communication improvement,” Linford said.
The criteria presented in the proposal included a rise in registration fees from $5 to $10. Out-of-state surcharge per credit hour will jump from $198 to $215, while resident tuition will increase to $1,950 for 30 credits per year. Students will still pay a $25 commencement fee to participate in the graduation ceremony but would no longer pay a fee to graduate.
Student Lawrence Ciaffone inquired where the fees would be going to.
“Where are the fees going? Most students are registering through computers. I don’t see the need for a $5 jump for registering on a computer,” Ciaffone said.
“From what I understand, the fees go into a pool for Maricopa Community Colleges, not directly to MCC,” Ciaffone added.
Also included in the controversy was the concern that students at MCC were not aware of this presentation.
Linford explained that his attention would to be focus on better communication.
“We need better communication among the board, ASMCC and the student body,” Linford said.
Although Linford said he plans on remaining neutral, he has agreed to support a group of students who have asked him to represent them in a petition against the tuition fees.
Another issue catching the student body off-guard was that the District’s next step was to review and vote on the proposals the day after the forum, Feb. 28, in Tempe.
“We’re just finding (out) about this now, and the meeting is the day after. They’ll have a month to deliberate until March 28 when the Governing Board ... will decide on it,” Linford said.
“My purpose is to find out what students want but remain neutral. Students have a voice and need to give feedback, so that we don’t find ourselves in situations like this,” Linford said.
Linford encourages students to e-mail him with any concerns, questions and feedback regarding student tuition fee raises at jlinford@mail.mc.maricopa.edu.