Trustees approve 4.7 percent cost increase

In its quarterly meeting Friday afternoon, the University's Board of Trustees unanimously approved a 4.7 percent increase in the total cost of undergraduate education.

In presenting the planned increase to the board, Roy Bostock, chair of the Business and Finance Committee explained that this will be the fifth straight year in which the rate of tuition increase is lower than the rate of increase from the previous year. He added that his committee and the board should continue to work toward lowering the rate of increase in future years.

Last year, the board approved an overall tuition hike of 5.2 percent, exceeding the board's stated guideline of 2 percent plus the Consumer Price Index, which at that time stood at about 3 percent. Last year's proposal drew some criticism from board members who questioned the University's commitment to its own guidelines for controlling the cost of education.

Unlike last year, this year's proposal drew absolutely no discussion from board members. The overall increase of 4.7 percent falls well within the board's guidelines, as the CPI currently stands at approximately 3.3 percent. University officials estimate the 4.7 percent increase to be the lowest the University has implemented since the 1985-86 academic year.

The total cost for a student entering Trinity College next year will be $29,096, up $1,297 from last year. Charges include $21,550 for tuition, $6,853 for room and board and $693 in various fees. Entering engineering students will face the same increase of 4.7 percent, bringing their total cost for 1997-98 to $29,886.

Rising sophomores, who have already paid their one-time registration fee, will pay $29,026 next year, an increase of 4.4 percent from last year's tuition. Rising juniors and seniors will pay $28,926 next year, which calculates to a 4.7 percent increase because they do not pay the $100 recreation fee that began with the class of 2000.

"We have been very deliberate in our attempts to ensure adequate funding for our academic programs," Provost John Strohbehn said in explaining the increase as the minimum necessary to maintain the highest academic quality at the University. He added that strong efforts were made to limit administrative expenses, pointing to the fact that the 3.5 percent increase in such costs is the lowest that it has been in the past few years.

Principal rising expenses with which the University must contend include financial aid, laboratory and computer equipment, deferred maintenance on buildings and grounds and maintaining a high quality faculty.

¥ Law: 4.5 percent increase to $23,250

¥ Medicine: 5.1 percent increase to $25,900

¥ Nicholas School of the Environment: 4.8 percent increase to $17,300

¥ Nursing: 4 percent increase to $19,908

IN OTHER BUSINESS: The board tentatively approved final plans to construct the West Campus Recreational Facility, with the provision that the cost of the project not exceed $20 million. The project is subject to final review by the Executive Committee of the board in April, and ground-breaking is scheduled for sometime in May.

The board also gave final approval to the construction of the $3 million Center for Jewish Life, to be located at the Northeast corner of Campus Drive and Swift Avenue. Construction is scheduled to begin later this spring.