For the first time ever in the history of The University of Memphis, the revenue gained by student tuition and fees will exceed what is given to The University by the state.
According to the proposed budget for the 2006 fiscal year, 34 percent or $112.6 million of The University's entire revenue will be from student tuition and fees, while 33 percent or $107 million will come from state appropriations.
"Why are we paying more than them?" asked Ronald Anderson, a senior physical education major, who added that he doesn't feel students should pay more than the state.
Lung Kwan, a sophomore majoring in math, is concerned not only because of rising tuition costs but also because of what this lack of funding means for the state of Tennessee.
"I think it is a poor investment by the state," Kwan said. "The state needs to put more money into educating its citizenry."
One of the questions raised by students during the recent tuition increases has been, "Where is my tuition money going?"
The University tracks how students' tuition money is spent in two ways, according to Sharon Hayes, director of budgeting for The U of M. The first way is by the function or purpose of the object, and the second is by the expense of the object.
Timeirya Keels, a third-year law student, said she feels The University should tell students where their tuition money is going.
"People work hard for their money and they deserve to know what it goes to," she said.
Keels said she thinks many universities do not tell students where their tuition goes because many students will not come back if they do not like what their money goes toward.
Portia Owens, a junior education major, said she doesn't remember how much she pays and she doesn't know where her money goes, but it doesn't really bother her.
"It (tuition) goes up every year," Owens said. "I know that."
The reason tuition has been steadily increasing is because state funding has been steadily decreasing, according to David Zettergren, assistant vice president of finance for The U of M.
"If we are going to keep the same programs, one of the options is to increase students fees," he said.
However, The University has been trying to redirect costs so that they all do not fall on students' shoulders, he said. Zettergren said The U of M looks at their peer schools across the Mid-South with similar programs and compares tuition costs.
"We are still a very good deal," Zettergren said. "We are very aware and careful not to be unreasonable with our tuition."
Zettergren said one of the ways The University keeps the cost of tuition down is by changing processes and finding more grants, but overall, tuition is still very important to The U of M.
Students can find out where their tuition money is going and how much of it goes to various programs. It can be found on the president's website at: http://www.memphis.edu/presweb/communications.html.
