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UDC to raise tuition, student fees
Students face first fee hike in 9 years

BY JAY BELMORE

Students at the University of the District of Columbia (UDC) will face an increase in tuition and student fees beginning this fall.

Students discuss the tuition hike.

Following a Jan. 17 2006 vote by UDC's Board of Trustees and student government, resident and non-resident full-time students will have to pay an additional $625, over a two-semester span.

The first increase since 1997, the hike will go into effect by the Fall 2006 semester. It will push tuition for residents from $1,260 to $1,885 per semester, and non-residents from $2,910 to $3,535 by 2007. The additional funds will raise about $3 million the first year to help pay for student counseling, teaching programs, and rising utility costs, about $150,000 a year, according to UDC.

J. Michael Andrews, UDC's senior director of Communications and Alumni Affairs, said that the university's operating costs have risen drastically since the last tuition increase of 1997.

"Other colleges and universities sometimes raise tuition and fees every other year," said Andrews. He hopes that students understand the need for the increase. "We are not insensitive to the concerns of our students, but we live in a high cost area and the costs must be paid from somewhere," he explained.

Undergraduate Student Government Association President William Kellibrew is concerned about the increase, saying some UDC students are low-income residents, and will especially feel the pinch. "Any increase "is a large increase no matter how small," Kellibrew said, adding though that he realizes that improvements to the school must be paid for somehow.

Meanwhile, other student reaction has been mixed. Francisco Saenz, president of the Latino Student Association, is ok with the hike, but is concerned over what he calls "limited information" on where the money will be spent. "It's ok as long as it has a direct impact on the school. We need to make sure there's a system in place to oversee spending."

Diego Lahaye, a sophomore and TV Production major explained, "UDC is still pretty cheap," compared to other schools. "I was paying $4,500 a semester at Montgomery College. UDC is still pretty affordable, and the interaction between students and faculty is worth the cost."

 

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