By Estevan Chavez

The U of L Board of Trustees met on May 12 to vote on tuition increases for university students. About an hour before the meeting, several members of Students United for Peace and Justice staged a protest outside of Grawemeyer Hall, where they confronted board members who were walking in for the meeting.

The board ultimately decided to raise tuition 9.75 percent for the 2005-2006 school year. The increase translates into about $500 more per year for full-time students. Then-SGA President Ryan McKinley, a member of the board, abstained by order of the student Senate.

U of L’s tuition increase, although it was one of the lowest in Kentucky, may make students question how they will be able to pay for college. A recent report, however, stated that most students do have the means to pay for college with the help of financial aid.

In July, the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education announced results from a study which they said found that Kentucky colleges remain affordable for most college students. While the study accounts for the majority of students, some face circumstances beyond their control which makes paying for college difficult.

Megan Keen is a senior political science major. Her father was laid off from work just prior to the current semester, so her FAFSA application did not reflect her family’s change in income. She was denied because of her father’s previous income, and visited the financial aid office to seek help. After a long struggle to explain her story, Keen received a Pell Grant. Pell Grants are given to students who have not yet finished their undergraduate degree. The Pell Grant paid for half of her tuition but still wasn’t enough to cover her entire financial need.

“No one told me about other options,” Keen said. She said that after doing research and struggling with the financial aid office, she was eventually able to receive enough aid to cover her studies entirely.

Education not worth tuition

Some students are left questioning why the university doesn’t offer more classes when the tuition keeps rising. Andrea Wherley, a senior Physiology major, feels that there is a lack of options when it comes to classes at the university. After completing their general education requirements, both Keen and Wherley found it hard to get into the classes they needed before graduation.

“I wish there was more flexibility in what classes you’d have to take to graduate,” Wherley said.

Both girls conceded that the tuition hikes were bearable, but neither felt they were getting their money’s worth from the university.

When registering for any semester, students must follow the early registration schedule. The guide places importance on grade level and then is organized alphabetically.

“It’s hard when your name falls at the end of the list,” Wherley said.

The lack of options exists in many departments. Most departments have experienced cut-backs in the number of programs offered due to lack of money.

“There are a lot of political sciences courses I wish I could take that don’t even go with my major,” Keen said. “I just need to talk to an adviser to find out what I can take.”

Both women also feel let down by their advisers. Wherley has been tossed back and forth between Physiology advising and Arts and Sciences advising. She has been told on numerous occasions that she needs to see one office, only to be told the opposite when she met with an adviser.

“It feels like all they want is a certain amount of money before they let you graduate,” Wherley said. “Aside from that, they don’t care.”

Fortunately, the problem has not gone unnoticed. Dale B. Billingsley, associate provost for Undergraduate Affairs, said that last year the provost appointed a director of Academic Advising Practices who will handle problems in advising.

“Advising has been a sensitive issue on this campus for a long time. Over the past several years, the university has increased the number of staff advisers as well as the quality of the professional credentials that they present. In the undergraduate units, however, the adviser-student ratio is still too high, and we continue to work with the deans and advising staff in the schools and colleges to provide additional support for advising services,” Billingsley said.