Reprinted with permission.
News blog
Jan. 31, 2012
The disparate synonyms for tuition: “A burden,”
“reasonable”
By McLean Bennett
Leader-Telegram staff
Like a gallon of gas, a quart of milk or a pint of beer, a head full of knowledge has become a pricier
and pricier commodity of late.
The UW System in July approved hiking tuition at two- and four-year institutions by an average of 5.5
percent this school year — a response to a cut in the amount of money Madison lawmakers gave
colleges and universities under the new state budget.
At UW-Eau Claire, that means a tuition bill this year comes to about $8,024 for Wisconsin and
Minnesota residents, or $15,597 for nonresidents. At nearby UW-Stout in Menomonie, tuition went up
this year to $8,550 for Wisconsinites and Minnesotans, and to $16,290 for nonresidents.
The handful of UW-Eau Claire students who agreed to be interviewed for this story Monday said they
generally are OK with the university's price tag, noting costs to attend schools elsewhere are higher.
"I'd say (tuition) is OK," UW-Eau Claire senior Amanda Nielsen said. "I would like it to be less, but I
mean, you pay for your education. I'm sure there are places that are a lot worse."
UW-Eau Claire senior Katilyn Donovan said her parents cover much of her tuition. Rising costs have
been frustrating, she said, though she noted the cost to attend school is still reasonable.
"It's been a burden on the whole family," Donovan said.
UW-Eau Claire sophomore Jessica Johnson said she's paying far less to attend UW-Eau Claire than
she did last year, when she attended the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.
"I think it's really reasonable," Johnson said of UW-Eau Claire's costs.
Reprinted with permission.
President Barack Obama last week offered a stern warning to American colleges to keep their tuition
costs low. In a speech he gave Friday at the University of Michigan, the president said colleges that
"jack up tuition every single year" could lose out on government funding.
Obama's proposals to reform U.S. higher education are geared toward making college more
affordable.
But of the students interviewed Monday, only Donovan was familiar with the president's recent
remarks. Asked what she thought about Obama's proposals, Donovan said she agrees the government
should find a way to reduce tuition costs.
"If you think about it," Donovan said, "some of these students graduate from school with at least
$40,000 in debt. And if you're already in the hole that much, how are you supposed to get out?”