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Show VOLXLIX Finding truth in tuition Vote! UVUNITED JJMEGGIEWOODFIELD News "editor"" "" Two team's campaign efforts will culminate March 1-3 for UVUSA student body elections. Student body officers for the 2010-2011 year will be elected by the general student body. The two teams running are Team Elevate and Team UVUnited. Team elevate is headed by Richard Portwood, running for Student Body President. Portwood has served on UVUSA for three years now where he currently resides as UVUSA Executive Vice President. Clint Pulver, current UVUSA Communications department representative, is running as Portwood's Executive Vice President. Chris Loumeau, current UVUSA Woodbury School of Business representative, is running for Vice President of Academics and Sarah Standing, current UVUSA Activities Chair, is running for Vice President of Student Life. wsm Richard Portwood - Student Body President Clint Pulver - Executive Vice President Chris Loumeau - Vice President of Academics Sarah Standing - Vice President of Student Life Dedication to Education •Advocate for a more engaged and a more serious institution • •Additional academic speakers and relevant debates •Increase student participation in faculty evaluations •Loyalty and Pride for our university ' •Establish and continue school traditions ""•Create additional areas for students to lounge and stay connected to campus •Implement events and activities that better meet students' interests •Access to and aware- "Our name is synonymous with everything we want to do," said Portwood. Team Elevate hopes to help students and the uni- ness of student resources •Raise awareness about opportunities for student success •Introduce a computer rental program •Collaborate with cam'pus organizations to centralize information for students Michael Spurrier- Student Body President Nathan Lambson - Executive Vice President . Daniel Diaz - Vice President of Academics Tess Seymour - Vice President of Student Life Environmental Issue Awareness - Students need to know what is happening to and in our planet •increased Plastic recycling locations on campus •Increased paper and cardboard recycling •Using green materials in cafeteria and other food distributors •Campus Beautification Increase student art throughout the campus •Restore the Bunne! House into a free student art gallery •Zen garden and other gardens on campus •Expansion •Utilize all campus facilities such as the Wasatch Campus for Student activities and academic lectures •Increase student awareness of on-campus services •Help build lifelong collegiate relationships by creating an aware and • positive environment of engaged students Super Green been lost. Resident students can expect tuition to rise anywhere from 6-10 percent in the next year. "We are looking at ideas on enrollment management and aggressive fundraising to help generate revenue," said President Holland, "but if we need to raise tuition we will." The proposed 6 percent increase would generate an estimated $3,400,000 for the school while a 10 percent increase would generate an estimated $5,667,000. Holland showed graphs and charts to explain the allocation of past, current and future funds. The three items on his list to be covered by this revenue from tuition increase are the reduction ' As we enter a new decade the number of students enrolling in higher education continues to increase. Since the spring of 2009 UVU has increased its number of students by just over 3,000, creating a current total of 26,322 students. It appears the numbers will only continue to climb in the near future and there is concern about how the growth will affect universities in Utah. "Students are enrolled but in many cases are not able to get the classes they want," said University President Matthew Holland. "We lose several students each year that might have stayed if the classes they needed were available." As enrollment growth continues, the school will face the daunting task of maintaining a quality education for students while dealing with constant budget cuts. Utah's colleges and universities were dealt a 17 percent budget cut in the 2009 legislative session and presently legislative leaders are considering making cuts at around 22 percent by July. "This is the most severe UVU students have the smallest amount of square feet per student, at 121 sq. ft. budget cut for higher ed that I've ever seen," said UVU Executive Director of Planning and Budgeting Linda Makin. "I've been doing this for 23 years and I've never seen anything like this." Part of UVU's mission as designated by the state is to be an open institution that gives the opportunity of higher education to those seeking it, a task made extremely difficult without necessary state funding. Space has also become a major issue. The lack of space at UVU has often proved problematic, one remedy for this dilemma is the expansion of the science building which would create a significant amount of needed space. Currently UVU is the second largest university in Utah with the smallest amount of square I Feb. 23 President Holland lead his first yearly "Truth and Tuition" hearing in which he emphasized the need for the university to buckle down through this tough economic time. "It is a difficult situation we are in, but it is not the worst situation we could be in," said Holland. "The reality of our situation has to be accepted." "Truth and Tuition" hearings are required by statute and allow students to ask questions about changes to second tier tuition and the allocation of university funds. Second tier tuition is controlled by the institution with approval from the Trustees and Regents. While not all schools have second tier tuition it allows UVU to consult with students while determining the utilization of funds at the institutional level. First tier tuition is set by the Regents for all Utah higher education institutions and is determined by state budget. While most students do not have input on first tier, Trevor Tooke, UVUSA Student Body President, and some of his council did on Student Legislative Day, Feb. 18. Photo Illustration by TRENT BATES/ UVU Review Enrollment, growth and budget Asst." News ediFof"'" News editor "The Legislators' responsibilities might be difficult for students to understand," said Tooke. "I think they do a good job and though I too don't like tuition increases having a better understanding of why they are necessary makes me feel a whole lot better about them." When talking about dollar amount changes to tuition Holland said "a lot will hinge on what the legislature will decide to do." He said he will be asking for no additional tax fund reductions, funding for the new science building and will "continue our plea for enrollment growth" as decisions are made by both the Board of Trustees and Board of Regents. Despite these requests to the Regents students should expect a raise in tuition to meet campus needs, face market pressures, fill in the gaps left by waning state compensation and support' continuing enrollment growth. For resident students this increase will be between 6-10 percent or $104-173 per semester for students in the plateau range (12-18 credits). For non-residents the second tier increase will be between 1.84-3.06 percent or $104173 per semester. However, students should keep in mind that this range is dependent on legislative action. • •?.•*}•• See VOTE • A3 ||MEGGIEW00DFIELD j feet per student, at 121 sq. ft. "Space is our largest constraint," said Makin. "We are very efficient with our space but we're maxing it out." In a struggling economy Utah schools are forced to operate under difficult circumstances. This means that tuition costs will undoubtedly go up to compensate for what has See TUITION • A4 |