Where will USU put new revenue?

If Utah State University is the litmus test for how college students will handle looming tuition increases throughout public higher education, then talks won't be as much about whether tuition should go up but how to spend the added revenue.

True, there was some sticker shock when school officials recently proposed a 43 percent tuition increase over three years at USU.

"I was a little taken aback — it seemed pretty high," said Jake Bonham, a USU student senator and senior majoring in wildlife sciences.

But Bonham and others in USU student government have dug a little deeper. They now know that the increase is largely the result of a lack of state funding.

Last legislative session, for example, there was no new money for fuel and power costs, which have been on the rise in recent years. School presidents say they've had to rob from other budgets just to keep the heat and lights on in their buildings.

USU and the University of Utah, which have the most buildings, have been hardest hit by fuel and power costs. USU President Kermit Hall said his fuel and power deficit is up to $9.8 million.

Something's gotta give, and since 1997 it has been through annual systemwide increases in tuition.

Now higher education officials are talking about possible 10 percent increases each year for the next five years. The average increase among schools for this year was 9.3 percent. One consolation is that, comparatively, tuition at Utah schools is still cheaper than peer institutions in the West.

For current full-time, in-state USU freshmen, the proposed 43 percent increase would mean their tuition would cost around $1,200 more over the next three years. Current annual tuition for a full-time, resident undergraduate student at USU is$2,850 — with fees, the cost jumps to $3,392.

At USU, the next step is for student leaders to hold a meeting with Hall and his administration. On Oct. 28, the two sides will discuss at least five proposed student "initiatives" that could benefit from the tuition increase.

Bonham said students want any new monies from a tuition increase to go toward hiring more advisers and improving wireless technology on campus. They'll also approach USU officials with requests for more career services and a beefed up counseling center.

For a fifth initiative, Bonham said they need money to break down "communication barriers" between what he termed "international" graduate students who teach lower-level math courses and the students in those classes.