7 percent tuition hike posssible for fall
BONNIE CAMPO and JENNIFER MASSEY
Staff Writers
The OCCC Board of Regents received a budget update at its April 12 meeting that included a possible $6 per-credit-hour tuition increase for next fall.
If approved when the final budget is presented later this year, the hike would raise tuition from this year’s $84 per credit hour to $90 per credit hour for in-state students. The increase for out-of-state and international students would be $15 per credit hour, making the new amount $239 per credit hour, up from $224.
If approved by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, the 7 percent increase would take effect in the fall.
Raising tuition by 7 percent would add about $1.8 million to the college coffers, according to a report given to the regents.
The college strives to offer a tuition rate that students are able to afford, and this increase leaves tuition within that range, said OCCC President Paul Sechrist.
The average student at OCCC is enrolled in nine credit hours, and these students would pay just $54 more per semester if the increase goes into effect, Sechrist said.Even with the tuition hike, OCCC has made the decision not to raise salaries for its employees for the second year in a row, Sechrist said.
He said that while it is unfortunate for the deserving staff, it is necessary because the budget for fiscal year 2012 is projected to be even worse than this year or next.
Sechrist said the college hopes to set aside money now to cushion the school in the future.
OCCC is facing a financial struggle because state revenues for fiscal year 2011 are projected to be at least 15 percent below the original funding for this year, FY 2010. That would be a $3.8 million reduction in state appropriations.
Yet some costs are certain to increase, Sechrist said.
These include contracts for maintenance, software technology and other fees that have an annual raise built in, Sechrist said.
Sechrist said he met with The Leadership Council, made up of student officers of campus clubs and organizations, to understand students’ feelings about the tuition hike.
He said most of the students were supportive of this idea.
The issue of whether to support an increase was put to a vote April 8 during The Leadership Council’s bimonthly meeting.
Marion Paden, vice president for Enrollment and Student Services, urged the council to vote in favor of the resolution.
“We are not asking for your approval, we are asking for your support,” Paden said.
With a unanimous vote, the council made it clear it would support Sechrist if he deemed it necessary to increase tuition.
However, the council stipulated that it supported the measure only if the college maintained its faculty and the quality of education it now has.
Council members would have opposed the resolution if their conditions had not been met, said Alex Wilkes, council chairwoman.
“I trust the administration to make wise decisions,” Wilkes said.
“Not every school can say that.”
OCCC is keeping up with the times, which is important in an education setting, Wilkes said.
Erin Logan, student relations director, said the resolution supports an increase if it is absolutely necessary.
“If there is an increase, we trust that it is justified,” Logan said.
Annalyn Gill, the council’s research director, said she believes it is important to support the decision.
Gill said if the school sees a decrease in its annual budget, the money would have to be made up elsewhere.
Paden said the decision to increase tuition would not be final until after the spring semester. It would affect fall 2010 tuition.
