Ball State students and members of the public had a chance to ask questions of university administrators and provide feedback on the proposed tuition increase, but few took advantage.
Thomas Kinghorn, vice president of business affairs addressed a group of fewer than 30 people in a public meeting Thursday night in the Student Center's Cardinal Hall.
Kinghorn outlined the reasons behind the administration's proposal to raise tuition 4 percent for in-state students and 7 percent for out-of-staters.
Funding is needed, Kinghorn said, in order to meet the educational expectations of students, keep up with advancements in technology and provide competitive salaries and benefits to employees.
"You walk through campus, you walk through classrooms, and it's apparent that we are addressing students' needs," Kinghorn said.
But funding to pay for those needs has to come from somewhere. Public universities receive funding in two ways: state appropriations and students tuition and fees.
Kinghorn showed the audience a graph detailing the percentage of funding Ball State receives from the state and how much students account for.
Kinghorn's graph showed that government funding has decreased by nearly 7 percent since 1998 and that student tuition and fees accounted for more than 43 percent of funding in 2003.
The poor economic climate statewide is forcing students to shoulder more of the burden for education, Kinghorn said.
Although money from the government is not increasing at the same rate as the cost of education, Kinghorn said the Indiana general assembly has been as supportive as they could possibly be.
"If the state had more money they would be giving it to higher education institutions," Kinghorn said. "Legislators see that when student's fees must increase, it is undesirable."
Kinghorn said most students receive some sort of financial aid, scholarship or grant that reduces the cost of education. He said 22 percent of Ball state students pay the "sticker price."
According to a listing Kinghorn showed, Ball State fell between Indiana and Purdue universities in the price of tuition for this academic year, and six Mid-American Conference schools set tuition higher than Ball State.
Kinghorn said the university needs the increase in tuition in order to stay competitive with other colleges.
"Ball State can't be all things to all people," Kinghorn said, "but it better be special for the people it serves."
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