Published: April 08, 2008 08:31 pm      

CU students rail against increase in tuition rates; Board of governors OKs hike

ATHENS — Concord University students used bullhorns, air sirens and signs Tuesday to protest increasing tuition costs while the institution’s board of governors passed an increase that was lower than that recommended by the administration.

Students carrying signs such as “You’re Bleeding Us Dry” and “Not A Penny More” rallied on campus and spoke against a proposed rise in tuition. The board of governors later passed a 3.7 percent increase.

“The administration recommended a tuition increase of 6 percent,” J. Franklin Long, the board of governors chairman said after the meeting. “We did not accept it, and voted for a tuition increase of 3.7 percent. The board has felt very strongly about making college affordable for students.”

The board is also seeking ways to reduce costs.

“We have asked the administration to look at methods to decrease expenses and increase revenues so we won’t continue with a pattern and practice of having an increase in tuition every year,” Long said. “It also should be noted that financial aid will be increased for many students the next academic year. We’re looking at ways for financial aid to be made available for all students with need. Concord provides the highest amount of financial aid of any institution in the state.”

During the rally, members of the Student Government Association and individuals took turns on a microphone to voice their opposition.

“The primary concern is a number of promises that were made to us last year when they raised tuition,” said 22-year-old Concord senior Robert “Rocky” Seay, a former SGA president. The promised uses included dormitory improvements and campus beautification.

Seay said students have not been unable to trace exactly how money from sources such as student parking tickets and fees are being spent.

“We can’t trace exactly what fee pays for what,” he said. “I want to say that we’re neither too proud to beg nor too shy to demand, and since begging has failed, we now demand.”

Student Vice President Curtis Kearns said the university’s student body has been arguing that any tuition increases should be tied to specific projects such as fixing holes in the library’s roof and making repairs on other facilities. Kearns also said students complained last year about mercury in the nearby science building.

“In general, we want tangible improvements,” Kearns said. “We want the buildings we have to be brought up to par. Thirty years ago our dorms were the best in the state. Now they’re the worst in the state.”

Students also protested plans to build University Point, a facility with an interdenominational chapel and other facilities. The plan calls for spending approximately $2 million on the project, Bryan Henderson, SGA business manager told the audience.

“We don’t want it on this campus, we don’t want to fund it on this campus, but they [board of governors] refuse to listen to us,” Henderson said.

Concord’s tuition is now higher than that of Marshall University in Huntington, he added.

“Our tuition cost, the actual base cost of tuition, is actually $54 more than at Marshall,” Henderson said. When room and board are taken into account, Marshall’s costs are $200 higher than Concord’s, but “we don’t have the technology and the dorms that they have,” he added.

Dr. Jerry Beasley, president of Concord University, said University Point is not just a chapel project. The chapel itself is being paid for with private funds, he said.

“It’s an alumni center and a museum that will really be a tribute to the people of southern West Virginia,” Beasley said. “It will be a place where people of different faiths can come together.”

University Point can also be a place for the spiritual development of students who will take on demanding careers such as social work and other occupations that involve the public’s needs, he said.

Addressing the students’ concerns, Beasley said the university has spent money on their needs. Approximately $750,000 has been spent for new dormitory furniture, and $300,000 was used to create more parking, a primary issue.

Another $60,000 has been spent on additional need-based student financial aid, he said. Dr. John David Smith, vice president of student affairs, is looking into how more aid can be made available for students who do not have it.

“I think it’s our challenge both at Concord and in West Virginia to figure out who is being left out and how to help them,” Beasley said.

On the subject of campus facilities, Beasley said there are plans to convert a former cafeteria at the Towers, a dormitory, into a recreation center, Beasley said. A sum of $150,000 has been allocated to equip it, but fire sprinklers must be installed first. Beasley did not know when this would be completed.

Students complained during the rally that many of their dorms are not air conditioned, and Beasley said this was true.

“We’ve been looking at some ways to add some air conditioning at least in the Towers,” he said.

One problem Concord faces is that while the state helps fund public school projects through the School Building Authority, public universities and colleges do not receive similar funds for their student facilities, Beasley said.

“West Virginia is a rare state that uses student fees for facility improvements,” he said. Facilities like dormitories and sports buildings are expected to be self supporting.

“What we’re dealing with on this campus is a problem statewide and nationally,” Beasley said.