A plan that could progressively increase Nicholls tuition to $4,192 in six years is expected to go before the Louisiana House of Representatives this session.Currently, tuition increases must be approved by a two-thirds vote of the state legislature. The introduced bill, which was approved by the House Education Committee, proposes that the power to authorize tuition and mandatory attendance fee changes be taken out of the legislature’s hand and given to the supervising system boards.
Damian Breaux, Student Government Association president, said he has been closely involved with the proposal through his position as vice chair of the Louisiana Council of Student Body Presidents.
“This stemmed from the legislature wanting an outline of the Board of Regents’ plans for tuition increases, expressing that the last minute operational fees and academic excellence fees won’t cut it,” Breaux said.
The Board of Regents has set out tuition increase schedules for each university. If the bill were to pass and Nicholls would increase tuition at its maximum rate allowed, students would pay $142 more each year. The schedules are based on Southern Regional Educational Board data on similar institutions.
System management boards would be required to report their actions each February to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee. If the bill passes, system management boards would be authorized to approve tuition and fee changes for the 2006-2007 year on Jan. 1, 2006. Nicholls, which is under the Universities of Louisiana System, could face a tuition increase to $3,480 for the 2006-2007 year.
Breaux said Louisiana is one of four states in which the legislature is in primary control of tuition increases. The state is the only one that requires a two-thirds vote.
“This plan will allow us to get closer to the tuition of our similar southern region school and stay in competition with them,” Breaux said. “It will allow us to prepare for six years so that we are not rushing at the end of every summer semester to add a fee or increase tuition so the University can stay afloat.”
Each university that increases tuition and fees through this plan would be required to allocate additional need based financial aid equaling at least 5 percent of the revenue the increase generated.
Breaux said the biggest struggle in passing the bill in the full House of Representatives will be the future of the Tuition Opportunity Program for Students (TOPS). As tuition increases, TOPS becomes more expensive for the state to fund.
“TOPS is in trouble regardless of whether this tuition bill passes,” Breaux said. “We are fooling ourselves if we believe tuition won’t go up if this bill fails. There has to be a reform for TOPS or a restructure of it.”
In 2003-04, TOPS awards totaled $110.5 million. Estimates indicate that approximately $116.5 million was spent on the program last year and $121.4 million will be spent this academic year.
Breaux said the bill does not address the amount of money the state budgets toward higher education. “We are one of the lowest states in tuition, but also one of the lowest in state appropriations,” he said. “We’re still begging for money from the state. We hope as tuition increases the state will fund higher education more, but there’s nothing set in stone.”
To go into effect, the bill must pass with a two-thirds vote during the current legislative session.
