Editorials

The other day, Alabama's newspapers were full of headlines about tuition increases at most of the state's colleges and universities. That certainly was not news to students and their parents. Since the Legislature cut higher education some 11 percent last year, university presidents have been warning that this was on the horizon.

Please understand what happened. Legislators, declaring that they would not tax those who could afford to be taxed, decided to instead tax those who were trying to do what the state has been encouraging them to do — go to college.

All of the educational "reforms" that leaders have been praising are aimed at one goal — educating Alabama's high school students well enough so they can do college work, and do it competently. Those students may chose not to go to college, but if they decide to attend they should be ready.

Now Alabama is pricing many students out of the market.

Colleges and universities are caught in a bind. College costs are going up — just like the cost of running any business or keeping any home. And if Alabama's colleges are to provide the instruction and research services the state needs, then they are going to have to pay for the technology, the labs and the personnel.

So colleges and universities, to make up for what the state won't provide, do what any business does — reduce costs where they can and raise prices where cuts aren't enough.

As a result, figures show a wide range of tuition increases across Alabama — from 31 percent at Troy University to 0 percent in the state's community colleges. But if parents and students use this as a guide for shopping around, there needs to be a word of warning.

Not all of these increases are across the board, and a zero increase might not really mean zero.

Behind the low or no tuition increases are often increases in student fees — those nasty little additions that can drive up the cost of college. Thus far, Jacksonville State University has not tacked these onto student bills, but at other colleges there often are lab fees, athletic fees, technology fees and a host of other "add-ons" that add up.

There is nothing wrong with these fees. Most colleges and universities have them. Labs use chemicals, and students can't dissect the same frog over and over. Technology needs constant updating. And if the state does not supply the money, it has to come from somewhere.

As the old saying goes, "let the buyer beware," and the buyer in this case needs to realize that by not properly funding higher education, the Legislature has levied yet another burden on taxpayers who cannot afford it and favored those who can.