Resolution

Section 1. Statutory Authority. This bill is adopted pursuant to the provisions of Article II, Sections 5(d) of the Student Body Constitution, and Chapter 2, Rule 17(c) of the Student Body Statutes.

Section 2. The North Carolina State University Student Senate hereby adopts the following Resolution:

WHEREAS, the Constitution of the State of North Carolina, Article IX Section 9, reads “[t]he General Assembly shall provide that the benefits of The University of North Carolina [UNC] and other public institutions of higher education, as far as practicable, be extended to the people of the State free of expense”[1]; and,

WHEREAS, despite this commitment, over the last 10 years alone tuition has been increased in 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006 -- an increase each and every single year for a decade[2]; and,

WHEREAS, these aggressive and unending increases have driven tuition rates for full-time resident undergraduates attending North Carolina State University from a mere $948.00 for the 1995-1996 academic year to the current rate of $3,530.00 for the 2006-2007 academic year, an increase of 272.4%[3]; and,

WHEREAS, during this same time frame, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased by only 28.9% and the Higher Education Price Index (HEPI) increased by only 45.6%[4]; and,

WHEREAS, while reasonable people may disagree on the meaning of “practicable” as it relates to government finance and budgeting, no rational person can justifiably argue that this unprecedented escalation of the costs of higher education in North Carolina is practicable for the people of our State; and,

WHEREAS, recognizing this fact, in a December 2004 address urging the UNC Board of Governors to reject campus-initiated tuition increases, Board Chairman J. Bradley Wilson suggested the review and adoption of a policy of “tuition cost certainty,” wherein tuition rates would be set at a constant for a given class / “cohort” for that group’s first four years of enrollment at a UNC institution; and,

WHEREAS, providing “tuition cost certainty” would better enable the people of North Carolina to plan how to finance the monetary burden of obtaining a higher education in this State, and ensures that no academically-qualified student would be forced to interrupt their academic career due to tuition cost concerns; and,

WHEREAS, providing “tuition cost certainty” would also provide financial flexibility to the University, allowing educators to establish tuition rates that properly reflect the best interests of the University without jeopardizing the academic careers of students; and,

WHEREAS, the 84th Session of the Student Senate overwhelmingly adopted Resolution 71, the “Tuition Consistency Act,” calling upon NCSU administrators and the UNC Board of Governors to adopt a “tuition cost certainty” policy[5]; and,

WHEREAS, the 85th Session of the Student Senate overwhelmingly adopted Resolution 142, the “Tuition Guarantee Act,” calling upon NCSU administrators and the UNC Board of Governors to adopt a “tuition cost certainty” policy[6]; and,

WHEREAS, both the NCSU Faculty Senate and NCSU Staff Senate, at various times in recent history, have also expressed conditional support of a “tuition cost certainty” policy; and,

WHEREAS, a policy of “tuition cost certainty” has been enacted in the state of Illinois with its “Truth in Tuition” laws, and has also been enacted in the state of Ohio -- states that include 2 of NCSU’s 15 peer institutions[7]; and,

WHEREAS, similar “tuition cost certainty” or “tuition lock” programs have already been established at dozens of private colleges and universities throughout the country, and comparable legislation establishing these policies for public institutions have been in various stages of passage in a number of states, including Indiana, Iowa, Pennsylvania, Utah, Virginia and others; and,

WHEREAS, the UNC Board of Governors, in coordination with UNC General Administration, conducted a study of tuition models throughout the country to determine the “best practices” as they exist today; and,

WHEREAS, following the results of that study, UNC President Erskine Bowles released a proposal establishing a quasi-"tuition freeze" that will now be in effect at all campuses for four (4) years; and,

WHEREAS, while this quasi-"tuition freeze" is a marked improvement over the prior tuition policy, the proposal's various exceptions, limitations and duration make it only a stopgap measure in establishing a sound, long-term policy to address the financial needs of the UNC system over the coming years; and,

WHEREAS, the implementation of “tuition cost certainty” would be a valuable tool to better enable the people of North Carolina to obtain a higher education, and should be studied in its own right as a potential long-term tuition policy option; and,

WHEREAS, a refusal by the UNC Board of Governors to thoroughly examine “tuition cost certainty” or a similar tuition containment model would demand an appropriate response by the Student Body; now, therefore be it

RESOLVED, that the North Carolina State University Student Senate affirms its Resolution 71 (84th Session) and Resolution 142 (85th Session) and endorses the adoption of a “tuition cost certainty” policy for the University of North Carolina system; and be it further

RESOLVED, that the Student Senate calls upon UNC President Erskine Bowles and the UNC Board of Governors to use the momentum created by their quasi-"tuition freeze" proposal to now undertake a study exclusively focusing on the potential of implementing a "tuition cost certainty" policy in the State of North Carolina; and be it further

RESOLVED, that the Student Senate asks the Chancellor and other senior administrators, to the extent they are able, to assist in encouraging the UNC Board of Governors to undertake such a study; and be it further

RESOLVED, that the Student Senate further petitions the Faculty Senate and Staff Senate to adopt this Resolution, or a comparable document endorsing a comprehensive review of a “tuition cost certainty” policy or similar tuition containment model; and be it further

RESOLVED, that the Senate Standing Committee on Public Affairs, in consultation with the Senate Standing Committee on Tuition and Fees and other relevant Student Government officials, is hereby charged with monitoring and interacting with the UNC Board of Governors, as far as practicable, to influence the disposition of the Board in undertaking a study of a “tuition cost certainty” policy; and be it further

RESOLVED, the Senate Standing Committee on Public Affairs is further charged with advocating the adoption of a “tuition cost certainty” policy in the North Carolina General Assembly; and be it further

RESOLVED, that should the Chancellor and other senior administrators of N.C. State oppose the study of a “tuition cost certainty” policy, the Senate Standing Committee on Public Affairs is further charged with advocating the repeal of North Carolina General Statutes §116.40-22(c) authorizing campus Boards of Trustees to propose campus-initiated tuition increases.

Section 3. Enabling Legislation. The Senate Standing Committee on Public Affairs, in consultation with the Senate Standing Committee on Tuition & Fees and other appropriate Student Government personnel, shall be empowered to implement this legislation in the manner it deems appropriate. The Student Senate President shall retain overall implementation authority pursuant to Student Body Statutes §3-11.2.

Section 4. This act shall take effect upon enrollment.

[1] North Carolina State Constitution, Article IX, Section 9 “Benefits of public institutions of higher education”

[2] “The Powers and Duties of the UNC Board of Governors”, The Statewide UNC Board of Governors, North Carolina Center for Public Policy Research, pg. 94

[3] “Tuition and Fees History at NC State University”, NCSU University Planning & Analysis website -

http://www2.acs.ncsu.edu/UPA/otherdata/general/tuitionhist.html

“Tuition and Fees”, NCSU University Cashiers Office website - http://www7.acs.ncsu.edu/cashier/Tuition/ugtuition.asp

[4] “Historical Summary of Higher Education Price Index and Consumer Price Index, FY1961 to FY2006”, 2006 Higher Education Price Index, Commonfund Institute

[5] R71, “Tuition Consistency Act”, 84^th Session of the North Carolina State University Student Senate

[6] R142, “Tuition Guarantee Act”, 85^th Session of the North Carolina State University Student Senate

[7] Illinois Public Act 93-0228, Illinois General Assembly website – http://www.ilga.gov/
“Peer Institutions for NC State University,” NCSU University Planning & Analysis website

http://www2.acs.ncsu.edu/UPA/peers/current/ncsu_peers/peerlinks_ncsu.htm

An act ENDORSING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A TUITION CERTAINTY POLICY

FOR HIGHER EDUCATION IN NORTH CAROLINA