Students Fight Tuition Hike - And Win

Students at Concord University last month protested a proposed 6% hike in tuition. The University's Board of Governors was meeting on campus, and students made their opposition known. The Charleston Gazette:

Concord University students played Darth Vader's theme song as members of the university's board of governors walked through a crowd of 300 student-protesters last Tuesday.

Wearing red T-shirts and holding signs stating, "If we can't pay, we won't stay" and "Higher education, not higher tuition," the students' message to board members was clear: a proposed 6 percent tuition and fees increase was unacceptable.

By day's end, they thought they had at least partially accomplished their mission.

The board reduced the proposed increase to 3.7 percent.

"We were told this year's increase would be as close to zero as possible," said Brian Henderson, business manager for Concord's student government. But the administration then came back with a 6 percent increase, he said.

"We've had the highest freshman requirement last year, but that was slashed by those that we lost because of tuition hikes," Henderson said.

Last year's tuition and fee increase of 5 percent brought in $1 million to the university, Henderson said. But the university lost $1.5 million from the students who dropped out, he said.

"It's a vicious cycle," he said. "Less and less students are paying more and more for the same product."

Between 1997 and 2007, tuition and fees at Concord have risen 91 percent, according to a report by the state Higher Education Policy Commission.

If students organize, they can win. Even though the school was screaming that it was "out of their hands" because the state didn't give them enough money, students were able to wring a significant concession.

But this does show that especially in state schools, just organizing one campus isn't going to cut it. Students should be organizing their campuses in such a way that gets a large portion of the student body engaged and energised, and then link up with other schools in the state system. Because the ultimate goal is free education for all - and that requires bringing student power to bear on the halls of the state (and eventually, Federal) capitol.

We can look to our brothers and sisters up north for guidance and inspiration. Students are organized into student unions in Canada, and especially in Québec they take radical action to protect student rights and interests.

Unionizing and connecting students across state system campuses would allow things like strikes and protests to exert power in a way that forces legislators to deal with the problem.

(Entire Charleston Gazette article under the fold)

Protest victory
Concord students persuade board to lower tuition hike
By Veronica Nett
Staff writer

ATHENS - Concord University students played Darth Vader's theme song as members of the university's board of governors walked through a crowd of 300 student-protesters last Tuesday.

Wearing red T-shirts and holding signs stating, "If we can't pay, we won't stay" and "Higher education, not higher tuition," the students' message to board members was clear: a proposed 6 percent tuition and fees increase was unacceptable.

By day's end, they thought they had at least partially accomplished their mission.

The board reduced the proposed increase to 3.7 percent.

"We were told this year's increase would be as close to zero as possible," said Brian Henderson, business manager for Concord's student government. But the administration then came back with a 6 percent increase, he said.

"We've had the highest freshman requirement last year, but that was slashed by those that we lost because of tuition hikes," Henderson said

Last year's tuition and fee increase of 5 percent brought in $1 million to the university, Henderson said. But the university lost $1.5 million from the students who dropped out, he said.

It's a vicious cycle," he said. "Less and less students are paying more and more for the same product."

Between 1997 and 2007, tuition and fees at Concord have risen 91 percent, according to a report by the state Higher Education Policy Commission.

"Our students objected to an increase of that magnitude, and I think our board listened very carefully to them," said Concord President Jerry Beasley, who originally proposed the 6 percent increase. "They also listened to some of the options that were proposed to make up the difference because we do need the amount of money that was suggested with the 6 percent increase."

Beasley said the tuition increase would cover the costs of inflation, the rising cost of utilities and Gov. Joe Manchin's proposal for a 3 percent salary increase for state employees.

"Unfortunately, [Manchin's] proposed budget does not provide funds adequate for a 3 percent raise for all employees at Concord," Beasley said in a written statement. "He's roughly $180,000 short; institutional funds will have to make up the difference."

The 3.7 percent will cover the increase to faculty and staff salaries, Beasley said. The university will have to find ways to cut corners, to keep up with inflation and utilities, he said.

Brian Noland, chancellor of the Higher Education Policy Commission, said last week he expects to see universities and colleges across the state raise their tuition and fees by 6 percent to 8 percent for the 2008-09 school year.