At the beginning of the fall2005 semester, tuition will experience another 3 percent hike. This averagesout to approximately $52 a semester.
According to President LeonTarver II that is only $1.12 a day.
“Three percent is authorized bythe state legislature and it has been in place for four or five years now,”said Chancellor Edward Jackson.
In the 2001 State of LouisianaActs of the Legislature Regular Session, Act No. 1117 was approved allowingSouthern University to annually increase fees by 3 percent until July 1.
Desherick J. Boone, a juniorcriminal justice major from Dallas says he may not always be able toaccommodate a tuition increase.
“The continuous increase of feesover the years is becoming vexing because every fall students are faced withnew monetary challenges,” Boone said.
Since 2000 tuition at SU hasincreased more than $600.
This constant increase may bewhat is stopping prospective students from attending the university said JamesWoods, a freshmen criminal justice major from Clinton.
“I think they shouldn’t keepraising it, because what about the less fortunate people. They will make itharder for them,” Woods said.
Currently Southern University isfacing more than $4 million in unmet funding.
“Those monies will be used totreat a number of things depending upon what our board of supervisors decides,”Jackson said.
The tuition increase willgenerate approximately $900,020.
“All the schools in the statehave gone to the 3 percent tuition increase, but that 3 percent tuitionincrease can only treat less than 30 percent of the financial problems we haveconfronting us,” Jackson said.