The Daily Orange is a nonprofit newsroom that receives no funding from Syracuse University. Consider donating today to support our mission.

Syracuse University’s tuition increase felt absurd before the academic year started. But after three weeks on campus, the raise feels even less justified. 

I’ve never used less resources, attended less campus activities or retained less information from classes than I do now. Students and families should not have to pay more in tuition to cover the $35 million in losses the pandemic caused SU. The decision would not have been made if students had a voice. More specifically, if students had a voice on the Board of Trustees. 

The Board of Trustees oversees SU’s fiscal and institutional decisions and is responsible for setting tuition rates. The board is the most powerful governing body on campus, Student Association President Justine Hastings said.

“However, students have little to no access to the Board of Trustees, who often stay nameless and faceless during times like these,” Hastings said.

While they don’t yet have a voice on the Board of Trustees, students have created a petition against the increase in tuition. Though ineffective when compared to representation on the board, the petition has garnered over 8,000 signatures. 

SU increased tuition by 3.9% for the 2020-21 academic year. Tuition will increase to $50,700 for students admitted before fall 2018 and will cost $54,270 for students admitted after fall 2018. Students also will see on average a 3.5% increase in room rates and about a 2% increase in meal plans. 

How can SU possibly defend this tuition increase in a time when millions of families are unemployed and barely afloat financially? 

“We appreciate how difficult it is for our students and their families to navigate the uncertainty and unique stressors presented by the pandemic and Syracuse University is doing everything it can to limit the financial impact,” said Jennifer Horvath, communications director for the Division of Business, Finance and Administrative Services at SU. 

SU has increased financial aid to $300 million, an increase of 7% compared to last year. Hendricks Chapel is operating its two food pantries and providing “mini-grants” for food and other necessities through the Student Opportunity Fund, according to an SU News release. SU also launched its Syracuse Response Fund to collect donations to support students facing additional expenses in light of the pandemic as well as other expenses. 

But there’s no guarantee that every student who’s paying for SU’s financial losses would be eligible for grants or would even know of the response fund and food pantry. At the end of the day, students are paying SU more and getting less.

“SU is simply charging more for less. This is an uncertain, shortened, accelerated and altered in-person semester that 2,500 students have opted to take online,” Hastings said. 

Tuition is an issue that directly impacts most students, and students should recognize that the responsibility for the increase lies beyond the SU administrators we know. Hastings recommends that students familiarize themselves with those who serve on the board and have voting power within it. 

“This is a perfect example of why accountability should not lie solely on Chancellor Syverud but on the entire upper administration, especially the Board of Trustees,” Hastings said. 

The decision to raise tuition is inconsiderate and narrow-sighted, and is one that leaves those most affected out of the conversation. The raise is a reminder that students have little voice on the Board of Trustees. If students had a considerable voice, an increase in tuition might not have happened. 

“This is simply a challenging time for many members of our SU community, and to raise the tuition during a global pandemic is extremely disappointing and frustrating,” Hastings said. “The tuition for the 2020-2021 year should decrease, or, at the very least, remain the same.” 

The tuition increase should not have happened. Charging students more for a lesser education, especially in the middle of an economic crisis, is wrong. But the increase also represents a lack of representation within SU administration. 

Students should have a greater voice within the Board of Trustees, the most powerful governing body on campus. They should have more than an online petition to voice their opinions on a tuition increase. 

If students had a greater voice, maybe they wouldn’t be paying thousands more on tuition this year.

Rachel Pierce is a senior broadcast and digital journalism and political science major. Her column appears bi-weekly. She can be reached at repierce@syr.edu. She can be followed on Twitter at @rpiercesyr.

Published on September 14, 2020 at 10:20 pm