The Online Reflector

Tuition increases have become a normal part of the college experience. They occur yearly and come with groans and complaints. To know that each year more money will be syphoned from our already low wallets is miserable, but the situation could be worse.

The University of Indianapolis has kept its tuition increases moderate and always has had the facts and reasoning to back up the increases.

The most recent increase announced in February was 3.5 percent for tuition and 2.5 percent for standard room and board with a 14-meal plan. This comes to an increase of $830 for tuition and an increase of $220 for room and board and a meal plan. This may seem like a lot, but compared to students at other private colleges, UIndy students are lucky.

According to Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management Mark Weigand,  over the past 10 ten years, UIndy has made a 41.9 percent increase in tuition.

In the state of Indiana, other college students have it worse. Schools such as Hanover College, Franklin College, and Indiana Wesleyan University all have had 50 percent and more increases over the last 10 years.

Holy Cross College has had a 154.3 percent increase over the last 10 years. Some of these colleges start with an even higher yearly tuition than UIndy, making the increases an even larger sum.

UIndy news outlets were invited to meet with President Manuel and others to discuss the increase before the email was sent out to the campus community. This openness to discuss changes shows that the administration doesn’t want to hide anything from the student body.

I have talked to other students at private and public colleges in Indiana and other states. To hear the defiance that they experienced from their administration was shocking.

The administrators at their schools would not give out information and refused to answer why the information could not be disclosed. There have been only a few times that I have felt held back by people from whom I needed information.

Our administration is open and willing to listen. This is why UIndy can make steady improvements.  I have been at UIndy for only two years, and I have seen the steady improvements to my education. The administration is making changes as fast as it can.

If UIndy students want improvements  in their education, they’re going to have to live with small increases. The demand for new technology and updated classrooms, for example, comes with a price.

This tuition increase includes improvement of food service. If students want more late night-options, Polk Food Services has to spend more money to keep its kitchens open and its staff on campus later.

These steady increases come with more benefits than some may realize. I can get a late night pick-me-up to get me through my research paper, and PFS can gain a little more revenue. In theory, the $220 increase to room and board and meal plan helps with this.

Members of the UIndy community may not realize the voice they have here. Even with the steady improvements and an openness to discussion, some things still need to be changed.

You will pay $24,420 to go here next year. Speak up if you feel your education isn’t adequate.

I believe, as students, we have a right to have small superiority complexes.

We pay this money out of pocket, get loans and scrape together money for service we have earned through our hard work. If our needs aren’t being met, then we need to let someone know. Our administration has shown that it wants to continuously improve this university. And if we want to be competitive in the job market, we need those improvements.

As students, it is our job to take advantage of the opportunity to voice our opinion and put our tuition dollars to good use.