Surprise, Surprise...

President Bruininks Does Not

Lke University of Minnesota

Tuition Freeze

  

From the Strib

1. It's a "very heavy-handed form of micro-management." The Legislature elects the U's governing board, and they ought to let that board "take responsibility for setting tuition. That responsibility is codified in the state's charter."

2. "There is absolutely no way we can substantially cut the budget, freeze tuition and continue to provide the kind of education, research and outreach our citizens expect." The bill would "force the elimination of entire parts of the university and cause deep erosion in the quality of what we do."

3. It would have "a devastating impact on students. We would have to consider reductions in enrollment... Courses would have to be cut. Students would face much more difficulty graduating on a timely basis."

4. The bill would result in cuts to financial aid. "It looks like this is an attempt to make college more affordable, but it would leave us no alternative but to erode the resources we provide now for low- and middle-class students.”

5. The bill limits future increases to the annual Consumer Price Index, "a deeply flawed statistic." "It does not include labor... and of course, we spend 70 cents on the dollar on labor."