As lawmakers in Salem discuss the possibility of enacting a tuition freeze at Oregon public universities for the 2005-07 biennium, some individuals in higher education say a two-year freeze may not be the best thing for Oregon colleges and students.
Arguments, echoed by some lawmakers and evoked by others, involve whether or not the state can find the millions of new dollars that would fund a tuition freeze for resident students.
University President Dave Frohnmayer said in a telephone interview that if a funding source cannot be found, any tuition freeze the government passes would amount to a budget cut in higher education.
“The cost of buying down tuition increases to zero has been estimated at $32 million new dollars,” Frohnmayer said.
“Anyone advocating for the freeze should hopefully be prepared to find a strategy for finding that money,” Frohnmayer said, adding that any budget cut to higher education would result in a dilution of its quality.
“There’re some legislators that, in principle, would like to see it,” Frohnmayer said. “Of course, in principle, we would too, but if there’s to be new action from it, it would have to be paid for by increased state support.”
ASUO President Adam Petkun, chair of the Oregon Student Association and one of the most vocal proponents of a tuition freeze, said he didn’t support a freeze if it forced the University to take a budget cut.
“It has always been our stance that the tuition freeze should not come at the expense of funding for higher education,” he said.
Petkun added that students need the tuition freeze to catch their breath after large increases over the last several years and he hopes the state will increase funding for higher education.
“A point that we’ve had trouble making to some people, although the legislature has understood it, is that we’re not asking that the cost of education be artificially frozen at some arbitrary level,” Petkun said. “We’re instead saying that the state has been disinvesting year after year after year while the cost of education has gone up at the expense of students.”
When faced with the choice of funding the tuition freeze or the Oregon Opportunity Grant, Petkun said he supports the grant. The state grant benefits Oregon’s neediest students.
“The biggest success we’ve had so far this session was the Governor’s investment in the Oregon Opportunity Grant, and it’s the best way to ensure access for the neediest students,” he said. “People have characterized our stance as that we want a tuition freeze at all costs, which is not the truth. We do not want to see funding for a tuition freeze come at the expense of the Oregon Opportunity Grant because the Opportunity Grant is what’s going to get money to where it’s most needed.”
Legislators attempted to appeal to the concerns of both students and other taxpayers.
Rep. Sal Esquivel, R-Medford, said the state cannot continue raising tuition, but he isn’t convinced that a freeze is possible in Oregon’s current budget situation.
“(The freeze is) nice and warm and fuzzy, but the reality is this: Until the state can stabilize its funding, and I mean a tax reform, we will not be able to stabilize monies for the universities, for higher ed.”
Esquivel added that the plan to fund K-12 education pitched by House Speaker Karen Minnis, R-Wood Village, could be adapted to higher education as well.
Senate Democrats adopted and
overall revenue forecast in March that was about $300 million higher than Republicans’ forecast and pitched a budget supporting a tuition freeze.
“We’ve been talking about that in our caucus because a tuition freeze really goes across the board,” Sen. Vicki Walker, D-Eugene, said. “It benefits those students who can afford to go to school, and so we’re having the discussion: Should we put it all into the Oregon Opportunity Grant, which really targets the kids that need the money, or do we do a tuition freeze, or both? I think we’re looking at a combination of both.”
Petkun said he hopes the legislature can at least compromise to assist students.
“If worst comes to worst, we’ll meet in the middle, and students will be better off for that.”

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