The Southern Utah University Student Association (SUUSA) held their weekly senate meeting on March 5 to go over current campus issues such as tuition.
Marvin Dodge, vice president for finance and administrative services, came in as a guest speaker to represent the school and convey to students that SUU prides itself on keeping tuition increases to a minimum.
For the upcoming year, President Wyatt and Vice President Dodge came with a proposal to raise tuition no more than 3 percent for the upcoming year. For full-time Utah resident students, those taking between 10 and 18 credits per semester, this would be a $90 increase.
Vice President Dodge also emphasized the school’s commitment to adjusting the budget for new services rather than adding on fees for the students. Among the services that will benefit from this will be Counseling and Psychology Services (CAPS), which will be getting another counselor.
Vice President Dodge stated, “For us, prioritizing the few budget dollars we have into the highest priority needs continues to be our emphasis.”
D’Mia Lamar, SUUSA president and a senior philosophy and political science major, also commented on this stating “One thing that will directly affect students immediately is the fact that student fees will not be increased as a result of the president’s dedication and their commitment to the university paying for those services.”
SUU proudly has not increased tuition outside of the costs mandated by all Utah colleges and universities for seven consecutive years. This is on top of Utah schools being among the lowest tuition in the country as well as being among the lowest in average tuition and fees as a percentage of median household income.
Vice President Dodge also provided a brief packet of information regarding tuition and a breakdown of how the proposed increase will be used.
Meet Your SUUSA will take place on March 7 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the mall hallway.
For those interested in becoming more involved on campus, SUUSA Senate meetings are held every Tuesday in the Sterling Church Auditorium at 11:30 a.m.
Story by Alex Shilling
eic@suunews.net
Photo by: SUUSA
