Opinion
 

Staff Editorial

                            Matt Dulin    Barrett Goldsmith    Zach Lee 
                Jim Parsons            Christian Schmidt           Blake Whitaker

Paying the price

This is the second in a series of editorials about the future of UH that will appear every Monday.

A good education isn't cheap. And judging from the way tuition and fees are rising across the state and the country, the cost of an education is going to get higher and higher.

The issue is whether that cost is worth it here at UH.

The UH System Board of Regents approved a hike in tuition and fees Thursday that will have UH students shelling out $186 more for a 12-hour course load this fall. Students are anything but eager to pay more money for their education. But this University needs this money just stay afloat in the world of higher education.

And to their credit, the UH administration and the Board of Regents have kept tuition and tuition increases below what comparable institutions in the state and nation have done.

This money is going where it is most sorely needed. For years, UH's student-faculty ratio has been too high and still climbing. Having 40 students for every ranked faculty member is unacceptable (UH has about 35,000 students and 882 ranked faculty members this semester). This tuition and fee increase will allow UH to hire 40 full-time faculty members or their equivalent in part-time employees.

And 24 percent of the increase will go directly to financial aid for students in an effort to help some of those who will be hit hardest by the increase. Much of the remaining money (4.1 percent of the total) will go to student support services. Students involved in the decision process to raise tuition felt more money should go to these services in the future, and we agree.

This increase will result in a better university, and it is money that has been needed for some time. Paying more for a UH education won't be easy for many students, but it's the only way to keep this University where it is and make improvements.

Is the cost worth it? Yes.