The Tuition is Too Damn High

Tuition will increase next year by approximately $1,400, bringing the annual total to $32,810. About two months ago, I read those words in the school newspaper of Marquette University. Before I even had the distant thought in my mind of being a student at Marquette, my parents had already decided, in an attempt to build character and ensure that I truly value my education, that I would be the one paying the bill for tuition. So, as a college student funding his own education, these words sat in my stomach as well as a glass of milk that had sat out for two hours too long. Although $1,400 isnt a significant amount of money compared to the amount of debt Ive already accumulated, its the principle of Marquette asking for even more money while they throw it away with poor spending habits. So I decided to take a stroll down to the financial aid office of Marquette to find out all the wonderful benefits I would be receiving from the 11 million dollar increase in Marquettes revenue. Walking into Room 121 of Zilber Hall (pictured right), I was greeted with the faint smell of stale coffee and a polite Hello, from a man behind his desk. It was this man, a financial aid advisor for Marquette, who simply told me that students of Marquette University would never see the 11 million dollars generated by next years increase in tuition. And Marquette is not the only university increasing their tuition next year. Universities across the U.S. are reporting anywhere from 3 to 5 percent increases in tuition for the next school year. This leaves students like myself wondering; what are these increases for? And are they truly necessary? A college education is, by most peoples standards, already outrageously expensive. And if the school is going to make students pay more for their education, shouldnt said students be reaping the benefits of an 11 million dollar increase in revenue? According to that financial advisor of Room 121 of Zilber Hall at Marquette

April 11, 2012

University, the answer is an unequivocal no. So, upon receiving this answer, I began the search for where this money was going, and how Marquette, along with other universities, could prevent tuition increases by cutting costs elsewhere. According to the article in The Marquette Tribune, some of the money will go to a 3% increase for the salary pool of faculty; which in my mind is an acceptable place to be spending money. But that is the only actual planned destination for the money. The Vice President of Finance Chuck Lamb stated Marquette would love to have a zero percent increase every year, but running the university costs money. In my personal opinion, some of these costs to run the university could easily be cut. Just last week, I was eating lunch at the student union with some friends. A girl on the volleyball team joined us, and brought with her two boxes of food. But this wasnt your normal, below average, meal-plan-provided grub that is force fed to Marquette students. No, this was fresh, catered, deliciousness in a box. She was kind enough to share with us, and my taste buds were graced with meat ravioli covered in delightful marinara sauce accompanied by a bounty of fresh vegetables. This is the type of meal that is available to many of the Marquette athletes on campus. While the non-athlete Marquette students will never see the 11 million dollar increase in revenue, especially in areas like food services that need serious improvement, the athletes are indulging in gourmet dishes. This preferential treatment is only the tip of the iceberg of money that Marquette throws at student athletes, especially the basketball

team. Every basketball player is granted a full ride scholarship to Marquette, and according to the Athletic Scholarships website, it costs about $140,000 to fund each player. According to the Marquette Tribune, in 2008-2009, Marquette spent about 10.3 million dollars on the basketball team and generated 13.4 million. Marquette is one of two schools in the nation that spent over 10 million, the other being Duke University, who, lets be honest, is a little more successful with their basketball endeavors. Marquette, and many universities across the country who place a strong emphasis on their athletic department, could easily slash spending for athletics by cutting down on the fancy food and outrageous scholarships, and ease the burden on the non-athletically inclined like myself by avoiding tuition increases and maybe even granting additional academicbased scholarships. Most of my pondering on the subject of Marquettes spending habits occurred in the shower. This shower can be found in the bathroom of floor 9 West of McCormick Hall. This bathroom is a microcosm of Marquettes wasteful use of utilities. These bathrooms are lit 24/7 and the urinals are constantly running water. These wasteful practices occur throughout all of campus, with Zilber Hall itself being constantly lit even when uninhabited. Water and electricity, especially in the city, are not cheap commodities, with rates increasing each year. Not only does this hurt the environment, but it also has a heavy impact on the budget, forcing Marquette to set aside extra money for utilities. Other colleges, such as the University of Dayton, are saving millions by switching to more energy efficient lighting and encouraging more conservative use of water. Marquette and other inefficient colleges could adopt these practices so as to avoid tuition increases for students. By the time I have completed my undergraduate education and my post-graduate education in dental

school, I will begin the long journey to pay off upwards of $360,000 worth of debt (that is, if there arent any drastic increases in tuition). And Im not alone in this. College students everywhere are plagued with the burden of student loans. And with colleges continually raising tuitions, this burden only grows larger and larger. Surprisingly, there was not much of a commotion from Marquettes student body when this increase was announced. Perhaps, students were too distracted with our beloved basketball teams march to March Madness. Maybe it was because many students let their parents worry about such minor things; after all, its only their money. Heck, there was a bigger outcry from students at Penn State when Saint Joe was summarily dismissed from his post, and he was complicit to covering up a felony! So, I challenge my fellow students, former students, and even parents of students, to let the governing boards of Marquette and universities everywhere know that these increases are unacceptable. Universities raise their prices because they can. It is just an accepted rite that is rarely protested. Would they continue to push such increases if the majority of the student body protested on the streets of Milwaukee? Would conducting a sit-in on the scale of the one in Madison change some minds? Maybe some exposure on ABC Nightly News would cause them to pause and look a little harder to cut 11 million dollars from their operating budget. Or, would students rather pay the extra $1,400 per year so our athletes are well fed just so we can, again, be disappointed after the Sweet Sixteen?

Wesley Chiasson

W. Chiassson