Resolution 64

A RESOLUTION TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT TO OPPOSE THE ‘CATCH-UP’ TUITION INCREASE THAT WAS SUPPORTED BY THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Short Title: Catch-Up Tuition Increase Opposition Act

Sponsors: Senators Devore (corresponding), Barker, Do, Duncan, Gatlin, Layton, Martin, McDowell, Moore, O’Donnell, Propst, Yanik, and Wright

Signatories:

Referred to:                        

Version: Adopted

First Reading: November 30, 2011                           Second Reading: November 30, 2011

WHEREAS, the North Carolina State General Assembly has cut state funding to the UNC system by incredible amounts over the past few years; and,

WHEREAS, NC State University has seen that cut reflected by receiving over $125 million less in state funding in the past five years; and,

WHEREAS,  in light of the budget cuts, UNC Board of Governors stated on October 8 that schools in the system could seek to implement a one-time increase beyond the 6.5% cap that has been in place on tuition and fee increases since 2006; and,

WHEREAS,  the Board of Governors provided further clarification later in the month stating that the one-time ‘catch-up’ increase could only move the school’s tuition to the top of the bottom quartile of the school’s peer institutions; and,

WHEREAS,  NC State University had previously decided on a tuition increase of $330 for 2012-2013 academic year for in-state undergraduates and $660 for other students in a process that starts at the beginning of the school year and involves student input from various sources; and,

WHEREAS,  the first mention to the student body of NC State that this option was being considered was in a Technician article entitled, “BOT tuition and fees meeting today,” that ran on November 17^th, the same day the Board of Trustees Audit, Finance and Planning Committee met to discuss the increase; and,

WHEREAS,  the full Board of Trustees, sans Student Body President Chandler Thompson, voted in favor of this increase and sending to the Board of Governors for approval at their meeting on November 18^th despite requests to do otherwise; and,

WHEREAS,  this sequence of events occurred after the traditional campus process where tuition increases occur had concluded; and,

WHEREAS,  as part of that process and, as stated by the Board of Governors, several effective practices for student input are required when discussing raising tuition and fees, this is to satisfy policy 1000.1.1 and a General Administration committee recently established that student input is required as well as transparency, collaboration with students, timeliness, and accountability; and,

WHEREAS,  many of those principles were violated with regard to the ‘catch-up’ increase by the NCSU Board of Trustees; now therefore be it, 

RESOLVED, that the Student Government, on behalf of the student body, opposes the Board of Trustees’ hasty actions in recommending the ‘catch-up’ tuition increase which was in violation of Board of Governors policy 1000.1.1; and be it further,

RESOLVED, that while Student Government does not deny the possible practical and demonstrated need of an additional tuition increase for NC State University, such an increase should not be made without gathering more student input than the Board of Trustees solicited; and be it further,

RESOLVED, that the Student Government of NC State University asks the UNC Board of Governors to refuse the ‘catch-up’ tuition increase of NC State University at their next meeting in January 2012 until more student feedback can be obtained and an accurate opinion from the student body can be gathered.