Even though OSU is one of the least expensive Big 12 schools to attend, many students have been questioning why tuition seems to be constantly on the rise.
It creates a significant strain on parents who pay for their kids’ education and students who pay for their own.
An education is not like stock. The value of it does not go up whenever the price does. Most of us board members won’t even be breaking a $30,000-a-year salary after we graduate, which is likely more than we spent getting our degree. Additionally, we are not customers, we are students, and we don’t appreciate what seems like “inflation.”
Both the Senate and the House overwhelmingly approved the Higher Education Act and President Bush signed HR 4137 into law on Aug. 14.
Among the provisions of the act, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid would be shortened from seven pages to two and renamed the “FAFSA-EZ,” a change that anyone who’s ever had to fill one out can appreciate.
The act also requires colleges that identify “preferred lenders” for loans to place at least three lenders on the list, and to explain to students why the college believes the lender is offering “attractive terms and conditions.”
It also extends benefits for military veterans and students with disabilities.
But the part we like the most is that the top 5 percent of colleges with the greatest rate increases over a three-year time period will be have to submit detailed reports to U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spelling explaining the rising costs and the what steps neet to be taken to control them.
The vote in the Senate was 83-8 - one-fourth of the latter number represented by Sens. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) and Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.). To say the least, we are disappointed with lawmakers’s negative representation regarding the act. In this case, we’re glad they were in the diminutive minority.
Overall, it’s nice to see Congress do something positive for students. Maybe the act will help restore students’ trust in the schools they attend. Personally, we especially like that schools are going to be held accountable for high tuition raises.
Thank you, Congress, and good job. We’re proud of you.
- The O’Collegian Editorial Board
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