High Cost of Higher Education

[ZipAlumn]

Bob Dyers and his awards for the 2008 year."HOUDINI AWARD: During these tough economic times, the kind souls at the University of Akron have ''frozen'' tuition. Well, UA now charges a mandatory transportation fee of $115 per semester, even if you don't park on campus or use the buses. But that's not a tuition hike. And UA is now making students absorb the 2.9 percent processing fee on credit-card payments. But that's not a tuition hike. And UA charges a parent $25 to walk through freshman orientation day with their kid. But that's not a tuition hike. And in one year, UA's standard meal plan shot up 5 percent and housing 9 percent. But that's not a tuition hike. Nope. All that money is just sort of magically changing hands."Here is the link: http://www.ohio.com/news/dyer/36738374.html

[Zipmeister]

These all sound like very legal and thoughtful reactions to the State's veiled threat to reduce State funding unless undergraduate tuition was frozen. Kudos to the Akron Administration for coming up with these ideas to help maintain the University's financial health.

[Big Zip]

How much do you think you're food bill has gone up in the last year, Bob? On top of that I'm shocked they have charged the 2.9% processing fee for credit cards earlier -- think about -- the school pays that fee to Visa or Master Card so those students paying with credit card have essentially been playing less in previous years. They could have just stopped taking credit cards! If I recall the $25 fee was for a parent who didn't RSVP -- not for all parents. And finally I've talked to some students who live by me who originally complained about the parking fee, but have found the buses quite useful in getting around campus. What a stupid article! Kudos to Akron for finding alternative ways to allow them to freeze the cost of tuition will still providing top notch services to their students.

[ksu sucks]

Everyone else's posts are dead on. This is just a case of the University adapting to the financial threats of the state. But it isn't like these charges are unique to Akron. A lot of the locals are angry with these charges, but what they dont realize is that schools like OSU, Cinncinnatti, and just about every other respectable school enact similar charges. These ignorant people just aren't used to the new direction the university is taking. They are too used to hilltop high and the little money that was necessary to run it. Now that the school is taking on such improvements that there were need to be funds coming in to pay for it, so if a tuition freeze is put into place, then the college needs ways to bring in money.There is a lot of people in this city who are embracing the idea of a stronger university in Akron. At the same time, there are many people who simply despise anything that asks for money.

[ZipAlumn]

I don't begrudge the University from recouping these costs, I just think that there is a better way of doing it. If a student pays the Transportation Fee issue a parking pass and a bus pass. Those that don't pay don't get a pass. The 2.9% credeit card fee opens up an entire different can of worms. I know other Universities have this and I know these schools are not supposed to increase tuition, however I have mixed feelings on this fee. Should retail outlets start charging this fee think what will happen to credit card spending but maybe that is good. Somehow this average cost should be rolled into the tuition fees. The $25.00 fee for orientation is just plain B.S. I do have a problem with the cost of a college education increasing over twice as much as the cost of living over the last twenty some years.

[ZachTheZip]

The 2.9% credeit card fee opens up an entire different can of worms. I know other Universities have this and I know these schools are not supposed to increase tuition, however I have mixed feelings on this fee. Should retail outlets start charging this fee think what will happen to credit card spending but maybe that is good. Somehow this average cost should be rolled into the tuition fees.

Retail stores already to charge this fee. You won't find a single place where you can purchase something with a credit card and not be charged the fee in some way. In most stores, it's figured into the actual price of the product, which means you pay the CC fee even when you pay in cash.With the tuition freeze, UA and other schools can't just silently put this cost into the tuition, and so they are forced to have it as a separate, visible fee.

[Zipsrifle]

Many of these fees are being charged by other Universities. I'm currently enrolled at Kettering (formerly GMI) and basically the ONLY way I don't get charged is if I write a check. If I pay with a credit card, I get the fee. If I do online bill pay or use a debit card, I have to pay a fee. Personally, I do have a problem with the cost of education and I feel more could be done to reduce costs. For example, I am nearly finished with my Masters degree via distance learning. I can stream or get the lectures on a DVD through the mail and it's great! Typically, the lecture I receive is about a year old and I have little to no communication with the professor outside of turning in my assignments. I pay the same fees that everyone else is paying for courses and I imagine the work required of the professor is minimal. The number of students per class taught on campus goes way up and the cost to the University is minimal. You would think that this approach would allow for costs to go down, but this is not the case. I think the University just pockets the extra cash. It seems to me that academia is in a world of their own, loosely linked with the real world. Correspondence with their paying customers is, in my experience, not done in a timely manner. Internally, there seems to be no cost cutting initiatives, rather, if their costs go up they simply pass them on. I often wonder how many of the professors would make it in industry, as their theory often doesn't work so elegantly in the real world. I'm not implying that academia is not subject to market forces but I do wonder when we will hit a tipping point? As the cost of education increases, more and more prospective students won't be able to afford an education. When will the cost of education get so high that people can't afford to go to college? I have mixed feelings about the results from the Fingerhut education recommendation. On one hand, I'm glad that the Ohio Universities will be allowed to retain their individual identities. If UA became The Ohio State University, Akron Campus, I would never participate in anything related to UofA again. On the other hand I also think it sold out by not taking a tougher stance on forcing the Universities of Ohio to work together to reduce costs. Education is, IMO, the single most important factor in shaping our future and I worry that it is becoming more unattainable to people of this country.

[ctmjbowes@sbcglobal.net]

Not only are the charges described similar to what other universities charge for miscellaneous items, considering where this city and region would be without the university, it's ALL money more than well spent. It's well spent for the families sending their kids to UA, it's good for the citizens of the city and the surrounding area, and I shudder to think what this place would be without UA. Thank goodness for UA and its growth and vitality in these difficult times. GO ZIPS!GO INFOSUMMA!GO OBC!STZ

[zippyrifle32]

he's right though, it's not a tuition hike. i don't eat or live on campus, so i don't have to deal with those price increases. i won't be going through orientation, so that doesn't affect me either. credit card thing sucks but is understandable. finally the parking is fine with me since i drive to campus. a lot of his bitching though, only affects a very small percentage of students. so in effect, i still benefit from frozen tuition because i don't pay these other fees.