NEWSROOM:
(541)346-5511
E-MAIL
ode@oregoa uoregon.edu
ON-LINE EDITION:
www.uoregon.edu/-ode
EDITOR IN CHIEF
Ryan Frank
EDITORIAL EDITORS
Jonas Allen, Kameron Cole
Tuition freeze would warm students’ hearts
Rising college costs outpace
inflation, meaning a national
tuition freeze is necessary for
families to “catch up”
Generation X. Children of the
’80s. The Y2K Kids. The
current generation of col
lege students has been giv
en numerous nicknames.
None of them is particularly flatter
ing, nor were any of them chosen by
the people they describe. Now it’s
time to add another one to the list:
The Broke Bunch. And students
sure as heck didn’t choose this one.
According to figures released by
the College Board, the price of at
tending a university rose an average
of 4 percent this year — more than
double the rate of inflation. During
the course of the last decade, tuition
at public four-year institutions has
risen 50 percent, while family in
come has gone up a scant 1.5 per
cent.
In an Associated Press interview,
College Board analyst Lawrence
Gladieux said the potential to earn
higher wages with a college degree
makes the expense “worth every
penny.” Furthermore, the College
Board pointed out that Congress re
cently approved an increase in Pell
Grants.
While it may seem that students
should “have no fear, Congress is
here,” the College Board does admit
the increase in grants may be offset
by an increase in the number of stu
dents who need them.
How could the College Board
think otherwise? According to The
Associated Press, sending a child to
a private university would require
162 percent of a low-income fami
ly’s earnings and 44 percent of a
middle-income family’s earnings.
Those are national statistics. If
they seem unbelievable, look at the
story across the United States: Col
lege students in Florida have en
dured three straight years of almost
7 percent increases. Mississippi has
i -
ended its six-year sabbatical and in
creased college costs by 10 percent.
To fight the rising expense of a
college education, something needs
to be done — and fast. The best so
lution would be to establish a na
tional tuition freeze. By eliminating
price increases for at least a few
years, families (and the inflation
rate] might have a fighting chance to
“catch up” to university prices.
Believe it or not, Oregon is an ex
ample of one such tuition-freeze
success story.
The average increase in tuition
and fees this year in Oregon was 1.3
percent. Without the freeze, said
The Associated Press, Oregon tu
itions would have soared to 3.7 per
cent, much closer to the national 4
percent average.
Not every state has the luxury of
freezing college tuition. If a tuition
freeze is indeed not possible, uni
versity administrations must at least
try to make the rate of college costs
comparable to the inflation rate.
This year the inflation rate was 2
percent. If university costs had in
creased at an identical rate, students
would be paying a comparable
amount. So why such a disparity be
tween the two? Did the cost of edu
cating a college student really in
crease over the summer?
The College Board’s Gladieux said
it is attributed mainly to a decline in
state support. He also noted that as
colleges compete for students by
promising bigger and better pro
Giovanni Salimena/Emerald
grams, the need for bigger and better
funding goes up. With schools com
peting against one another, the well
of college funds dries up quickly.
And students are left to squeeze
water from the rocks. In other words
— that’s all, folks; time for a loan.
A college education is a great in
vestment. Unlike the stock market, a
degree will not crash and send stu
dents into a depression. But if the
cost of college is not frozen or re
duced, the depression of unending
loans will strike soon enough.
This editorial represents the opinion of
the Emerald editorial board. Respons
es may be sent to ode@oregon. uore
gon.edu.
Question
of the
Week
Yes or No.- Do
you believe it
is realistic to
have a tuition
freeze and
maintain the
quality of ed
ucation at the
University?
Responses may
be called in to
346-5511,
dropped off at
the Emerald in
Suite 300 of the
EMU or sent to
ode@oregon.uor
egon.edu. Re
sults will be post
ed next Monday.
Letters to the Editor
Frustrating freebies
It’s about time someone
took a closer look at the tac
tics credit card companies use
to sign up students (ODE, Oct.
6). I am a firm believer that
students are adults capable of
making their own decisions,
but the free Frisbees in ex
change for credit make me an
gry
Signing up for a credit card
is a big task, one that should
be thought through. The
methods that credit card com
panies use are completely
structured to discourage the
thought process. The result is
that many students sign up for
a credit card and get them
selves into deep water. The
Emerald has done the campus
a service by choosing to cover
this matter.
Merriah Fairchild
Political Science
Elections apology
Last spring’s ASUO elec
tions were a mess. This year,
we are going to fix this
process. After the rules viola
tions, grievances and Constitu
tion Court rulings of last
spring’s elections, it was obvi
ous that campus elections
rules and regulations needed
to be clearer. As candidates,
even the ASUO president and
vice president unknowingly
were found guilty of a cam
paign violation.
To prepare for a smoother
and more effective election
this spring, the ASUO elec
tions coordinator is clarifying
and editing the election
process in conjunction with
the ASUO Constitution Court.
Hopefully, this stream-lin
ing will create fairer and
smoother ASUO campus elec
tions. Please contact the
ASUO elections coordinator at
asuoelec@gladstone with any
suggestions. Thank you.
Geneva Wortman
ASUO president
Ballot information
As the person who manages
public information for Lane
County, I want to call atten
tion to the many ways voters
can learn about Ballot Mea
sures 20-05 and 20-06, the
community safety and justice
system levy and bond.
In any election, it is impor
tant for us to get the informa
tion we need to cast an edu
cated and responsible vote.
Most people wouldn’t buy a
car without first checking it
out. Most wouldn’t bite into a
turnover without first asking
“What’s inside?” And most
wouldn’t jump into the lake
without first doing the “toe
test.” So why would people
want to vote on something
they don’t completely under
stand?
Here are five easy ways you
can learn more about two
measures that address a coun
ty-wide plan to improve com
munity safety and justice: by
telephone (682-4511), by
Internet (www.co.lane.or.us/
measures), by e-mail
(pio@co.lane.or.us), by mail
(Lane County Administration,
125 E. 8th Avenue, Eugene,
OR 97401) and by having us
come and talk to your group.
Call for a brochure. Check
out the website. Ask ques
tions. Do your own toe test.
Mike Moskovitz
Lane County public information
officer
Thumbs
THUMBS UP
To foresight:
Robert Guberman,
planning for his
future, trade
marked the phrase
“Year 2000” sev
eral years ago.
Others have trade
marked slogans
suchas"Y2K,”
”2000” and “mil
lennium.” For
those interested in
their great-grand
children’s fi
nances, the phrase
“Y3K" is still up for
grabs.
To Boot Camp:
Leaders of the
United States Ma
rine Corp have de
cided to issue new
softer-soled boots
to recruits. The
new footwear will
cost more, but it
replaces a stan
dard-issue boot
known for causing
stress fractures.
These boots are
made for walkin’...
THUMBS DOWN
To indolence:
The latest session
ofConoress
passed the fewest
laws in decades.
Richard Gephardt
called it “the worst
Congress that has
ever sat in this
building.” Now
there is an im
pending govern
ment shutdown.
What have you
done for me late
ly?
TotheUO
Bookstore:
Week three is
upon us, and
some students are
still without
books. The prob
lem is the Book
store's habit of or
dering too few
textbooks for large
classes. The solu
tion may be Ama
zon.com.