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UH-Hilo students
By Rod Thompson
say tuition increase
should be used
to help them
Big Island correspondent
HILO -- Students at the University of Hawaii-Hilo say they are willing to accept a modest tuition increase, if they receive corresponding benefits.
"I'm not opposed to an increase if it increases the quality of education," student body President Alex Weber told Colleen Sathre, UH vice president for planning and policy, during a meeting yesterday.
The university is proposing tuition increases to be phased in over the next five years.
For resident freshmen and sophomores at UH-Hilo, tuition would go from $756 per semester this fall to $996 in 2004.
For resident juniors and seniors the increase would be from $1,152 to $1,236 per semester.
A new system would go into effect for all community college students. Instead of a full-time rate, they would pay per credit, starting with $45 per semester-hour this fall for residents and increasing to $53 per semester-hour in 2004.
Resident, undergraduate fees for UH-Manoa would go from $1,560 to $1,752 per semester.
Weber said: "I don't want the money to be used to give raises to administrators."
Student Kathe Nawahine didn't oppose the increase but wanted the money spent on students.
"We have a poor library. Everybody knows that," she said.
"You may take (education) out of the reach of many local students," she warned.
Student Wendell Kaehuaea said he was a communications student but was never allowed to use television facilities at the university.
"The focus is wrong. The priority is wrong," he said.
"Show us what you're going to do for us," said student senator Benedicte Veillet.
Sathre presented charts showing that even with all of the increases in effect in five years, tuition will be cheaper than in comparable mainland schools last year.
Public meetings were scheduled for today at the Maui Community College student lounge, tomorrow at Kauai Community College campus center dining room, and Friday at the UH-Manoa campus center ballroom. All are at 3 p.m.
