It was alarming to discover on Friday that the “tuition surcharges” students were assessed in the middle of winter term are now permanent. Ah, the joys of euphemisms. Why didn’t the University just call them “tuition increases” to begin with?
This semantic game is somewhat familiar, though. Say one thing, do another. And tuition isn’t only being surcharged, er, increased this year. The Oregon State Board of Higher Education is working on proposals to drastically increase costs in the 2004-05 school year.
Constantly increasing tuition is worrisome; it moves the University closer to being a private institution that only select individuals can attend. Coupled with the OUS schools’ recent push for more autonomy from any state oversight, euphemistically called a “New Partnership With Oregon,” Oregon is seeing a slow but sure dismantling of public higher education. Students, faculty and the community should stand up and demand that it stop.
The administration should be fighting harder for students in this battle. Public education is necessary and needs to remain accessible, but we see mixed signals from higher-ups. From one mouth they say college should be open and accessible, and from the other we hear that donors need to be kept a strict secret.
To be fair, though, state taxpayers are playing the same semantic game as our University officials. “Yes, we want state services. No, we won’t pay for them.” Say one thing, do another. Until that trend reverses, the slide toward privatization will continue, to the detriment of students, the Oregon economy and our nation’s democracy.
UO, taxpayers play the same tuition game
Daily Emerald
April 7, 2003
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