Plan keeps degree valuable
Commitment will ensure competitiveness in UW system
Adam Sorelle
Issue date: 11/19/09 Section: Editorial/Opinion
Starting Dec. 1, we, the students of UW-Eau Claire, can change the future of this university.
We will have an opportunity to state our opinion on the largest proposal any UW System school has ever seen: the Blugold Commitment.
The Blugold Commitment is an initiative to increase and enhance the high-impact practices we are known for: student-faculty collaborative research, internships, as well as domestic and international learning experiences.
Increasing these opportunities costs money and the administration is asking for an increase of tuition over the upcoming four academic years. Next fall and spring, tuition would cost $3,413 each semester, compared to our current level of $3,225. In 2011-12 tuition would be $3,600 per semester, 2012-13 it will increase to $3,787 and the final increase would come in 2013-14, costing $3,975. After four years, the increase would work out to $1,500 per school year. An increase of this scale will expand those programs, so every student on campus will have the opportunity to experience them.
Debate over a tuition increase of this size has already been heated. There are numerous issues to discuss, but before you draw your conclusion, please be informed of everything the Blugold Commitment encompasses.
A survey will be sent out to every student on Dec. 1. Your individual results will help to inform the decision of your representatives in Student Senate. Once you have gathered information and debated your friends, a final decision needs to be made by each student: do I or don't I support the Blugold Commitment?
While arguments against the Blugold Commitment are valid, there are far more issues at hand than just a tuition increase. Unlike UW-Madison and UW-La Crosse, who have implemented similar proposals, Eau Claire students will have oversight at an unprecedented level. Each year students will set criteria for projects funded through the Blugold Commitment. This could include anything from student evaluations to the department's course availability.
We will have an opportunity to state our opinion on the largest proposal any UW System school has ever seen: the Blugold Commitment.
The Blugold Commitment is an initiative to increase and enhance the high-impact practices we are known for: student-faculty collaborative research, internships, as well as domestic and international learning experiences.
Increasing these opportunities costs money and the administration is asking for an increase of tuition over the upcoming four academic years. Next fall and spring, tuition would cost $3,413 each semester, compared to our current level of $3,225. In 2011-12 tuition would be $3,600 per semester, 2012-13 it will increase to $3,787 and the final increase would come in 2013-14, costing $3,975. After four years, the increase would work out to $1,500 per school year. An increase of this scale will expand those programs, so every student on campus will have the opportunity to experience them.
Debate over a tuition increase of this size has already been heated. There are numerous issues to discuss, but before you draw your conclusion, please be informed of everything the Blugold Commitment encompasses.
A survey will be sent out to every student on Dec. 1. Your individual results will help to inform the decision of your representatives in Student Senate. Once you have gathered information and debated your friends, a final decision needs to be made by each student: do I or don't I support the Blugold Commitment?
While arguments against the Blugold Commitment are valid, there are far more issues at hand than just a tuition increase. Unlike UW-Madison and UW-La Crosse, who have implemented similar proposals, Eau Claire students will have oversight at an unprecedented level. Each year students will set criteria for projects funded through the Blugold Commitment. This could include anything from student evaluations to the department's course availability.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
Debora Biasutti
posted 11/19/09 @ 9:55 AM CST
"The Blugold Commitment also includes a portion for financial assistance. Low- and middle-income students will receive financial support for this increase, but not all will. (Continued…)
Matt Sias
posted 11/30/09 @ 4:37 PM CST
The tuition waver for international students is based don the difference between the non-resident and resident base tuition. Because the majority of our international students do not have high financial need, there are no plans at this time to provide additional Blugold Commitment financial assistance for the differential tuition increase. (Continued…)
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