The University has received some negative feedback from studentsand parents after the Board of Supervisors approved several feeincreases a little more than a week ago.
The University sent a broadcast e-mail the day the increaseswere approved to all students informing them of the changes.
Returning and incoming students will face a three percenttuition increase, a four percent operational fee and an increasedutility surcharge. Also, out-of-state students will pay $750 morein the fall.
The extra fees result in a $186 per semester increase forin-state students and $906 per semester increase for out-of-statestudents.
The non-resident fee is expected to increase until out-of-stateand international students are paying $1,500 more per semester or$3,000 per year.
The Start of an Aftermath
Karen Denby, dean of enrollment management, said it is not clearwhether the increases will affect enrollment.
Denby said the Office of Academic Affairs received some negativefeedback from parents and students after the broadcast e-mails andmail letters were sent.
“I don’t think there would ever be a good time to say ‘Guesswhat? Fees are increasing,'” she said. “[But] it would have been alot easier if this were six months ago.”
Denby said some students have withdrawn their admissionsapplication, but students withdraw all the time.
She said the University will see if the sudden increase had amajor impact on non-resident enrollment until mid-September afterclasses start, she said. This is the deadline for dropping oradding classes.
Denby said the University had 1,000 more transfer students applythis year.
The International Effect
As news of the increase reached students, the University’sInternational Services Office also sent an e-mail to internationalstudents telling them about the fee increases and what financingoptions are available.
The e-mail outlined the estimated expenses for self-funded orsponsored international students and for those with assistantshipsor non-resident fee waivers.
The e-mail said ISO regrets the lack of notice concerning theincreases, but ISO does not have the means to provide extrafinancial support to students.
“Please be aware that the International Services Office does nothave any form of financial aid or assistant that student can beconsidered for in order to facilitate enrollment at our institutionfor the fall 2004 semester,” the e-mail said.
Francisco Aguilar, president of the International StudentAssociation, said he first learned of the increase from the ISOe-mail and the University’s broadcast e-mail.
Aguilar said he felt powerless when he first read thee-mail.
“I had no control over this,” he said. “I have to pay for this.There is no way I can go around this.”
Aguilar currently is interning in Washington D.C., but he hastalked to some members of the International StudentAssociation.
He said one of his concerns is the University’s lack ofcommunication.
Aguilar said the lack of notice shocked him.
Students should have been more aware of the increase, he said.They should have been involved with the decision process.
But Aguilar does believe the Board of Supervisors must have hada good reason to increase fees.
“There’s always a good reason,” he said. ” But if you engagepeople in the discussion, then you have a very differentfeeling.”
Aguilar said the increase can burden students and has an impacton the financial preparations they make when they attend theUniversity.
The ISO e-mailed message urged students with full tuitionawards, partial tuition awards or tuition waivers to find out howthe awards can be applied to the increases.
Aguilar said the increases can be detrimental to graduatestudents with assistantships and families.
Assistantships are work opportunities for graduate students.
The students either research or teach for a professor inexchange for earning a fixed income.
Aguilar said spouses of international students with an F-1 visacannot work at on-campus or off campus.
F-1 visas are issued to academic students, according to the U.S.citizenship and immigration services.
“The whole family is dependent on one person’s income,” he said.”They are the most critical.”
Aguilar said students learn to survive on the fixed incomebecause living in Louisiana and the United States — in general–is much more expensive than living in Latin America, Southeast Asiaand some European countries.
Another issue is if the increases will cause students to go toother universities, Aguilar said.
The ISO e-mail said international students must be full-timestudents for the fall and spring semesters.
According to U.S. immigration, part-time status will result inthe student being “unlawfully present” in the United States,according to the e-mail. They can be deported.
Richard Vlosky, International Student Association advisor, saidhe would hate to see the increases discourage international studentenrollment at the University.
But Aguilar said cost is a main issue when deciding whichuniversity to attend.
“We will have to look at– regionally– the cost of attendingother schools in the south,” he said.
Karthik Sethuraman, an electrical engineering graduate student,said he does not think his international friends will be able toafford the tuition and fee increases.
“A lot of people come to LSU because the fees are low,” he said.”They would think twice [now] because the fees are high.”
The ISO e-mail also said international students can defer theirpayments, apply for permission to work on-campus and can pursuepermission to work off-campus if all specified conditions aremet.
International students can work off-campus if they are havingeconomic hardship or to receive curricular practical training, orpre-completion practical training.