CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va (WVIR) – A student group at the University of Virginia is demanding state lawmakers stop the UVA Board of Visitors (BOV) from implementing a new tuition plan.
LINK TO VIDEO: http://www.nbc29.com/story/28790283/uva-students-turning-to-lawmakers-to-stop-new-tuition-plan?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=11385433
UVA Students United argues that the new plan will create a university that depends on more and more wealthy students to subsidize the ones who aren’t.
The BOV shut students out of its meeting last month, where the Affordable Excellence Plan was unveiled and approved in the same day.
The student group is sending a letter to the General Assembly, demanding more transparency from the BOV when it comes to tuition decisions.
“If our administration and our board is accessible, and we could talk about affordability, then maybe decisions made at the past board meeting wouldn’t have been made,” said Nqobile Mthethwa with UVASU.
The Affordable Excellence Plan increases tuition for all students: Incoming first-years will pay an additional $1,000 this fall and next year. That extra money will go to provide more financial aid for low and middle-income students.
UVA Vice President and Chief Officer for Diversity and Equality Dr. Marcus L. Martin is backing the plan, but UVASU wants lawmakers to step-in and re-evaluate.
“Having an affordable tuition plan for low-income, middle-income students in Virginia is an important thing to do to help us to continue to diversify,” Martin said.
“The only way to really ensure affordability and low cost of education is to actually lower tuition. It doesn’t make sense to raise tuition and raise aid,” said Greg Lewis with UVASU.
The university claims the Affordable Excellence Plan will benefit 70 percent of Virginia families, and that low or middle-income students will graduate $10,000 less in debt.
“The board did work for a number of months to try to come up with a long-term financial plan, and also a plan that would make the university more affordable. The definition of affordable was less debt,” said UVA President Teresa Sullivan.
The student group says members have meetings scheduled with at least eight lawmakers in Richmond when they return for the veto session Wednesday. Click here to read UVA Students United’s letter to the General Assembly.
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