ASU Explores a Potential Tuition Increase

Helen Smith
The Paw Print

With the cost of everything steadily climbing, it is no surprise that Adams State is finding it necessary to explore a tuition increase. The board has approved and submitted a financial accountability plan to the state. However, David Valdez, chairman of the Adams State Board of Trustees, points out that the vote to increase tuition has not yet taken place. At the moment, Adams State still has the “cheapest tuition in the state.” Valdez states that because of the challenges the state is currently having with its budget, Adams State needs to take measures to balance its budget.
According to Matt Hildner of “The Pueblo Chieftain,” ASU has received permission to increase tuition but is currently “waiting on the finalization of state budgets before it determines the rates.” The March 7 edition of “The Pueblo Chieftain” also published a story on Adams State offering a new grant. The San Luis Valley Promise Award will offer grants to students whose financial aid packages have not covered the full cost of tuition. This new grant has been established partly due to the downsizing of the Pell Grant. According to Bill Mansheim, Adams State’s Vice President for Financial Affairs, the amount of money available through Pell Grants is expected to shrink from 7 million to 5 million by the end of 2013. ASU President David Svaldi says, “Our priority is to keep education affordable.”
This is an interesting move when Adams State is considering raising tuition because of the need for a tighter budget. It does not exactly make sense to be giving out money to students who are unable to pay and making the cost tougher on students who can. The decline in Pell Grant funding will likely only be made worse by the tuition hike. The lack of funding seems to create an obligation to fill the financial aid gap even though the resources to do so are unavailable for most students attending ASU.
The current financial situation at Adams State is somewhat confusing and maybe even contradictory. Clearly, the university is in need of more money, and yet plans are being made to give out money to students who very likely are not going to give a return to the university’s investment. Marietta Clark, a communications major at Adams State, expresses that she usually has an open minded view, but even she is tired of the tuition game being played with the students and families of ASU. Clark feels that it’s “kind of a slap in the face.”