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Legislation addresses college costs |
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Thursday, 21 February 2008 |
 | Manogin
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by JAMISON DORAN
News Editor
The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed legislation aimed at helping curb the cost of college for students and their families.
The bill, which passed 354-58, calls on the U.S. Department of Education to create a Web site that will allow families and students to compare the costs of attending different institutions.
“College costs are increasing and having a system in place like the one being proposed would make it easier for students to gauge how much costs might increase while attending a university,” said Esther Manogin, director of student financial aid at Appalachian State University.
The legislation asked that schools be grouped in categories based on
how expensive they are and how quickly their costs have risen,
according to The Chronicle of Higher Education Web site.
Institutions would also have to explain what is behind the increases and how they plan to address the increases.
The bill was widely supported on both sides of the political aisle, and
both Democrats and Republicans were cited as saying that something
needs to be done as tuition costs have been rising faster than
inflation, according to an article in The New York Times.
Appalachian State is still an affordable institution when compared to
the average price of tuition costs across the country, Manogin said.
Tuition and fees average around $2,200 per semester, depending on the
number of hours a student is taking, Manogin said. This number does not
take into account whether or not a student has a meal plan or is living
on campus.
According to the legislation, annual tuition and fees for in-state
students at public institutions run on average $6,200 per year, or
$3,100 a semester.
The bill has many aspects to it, some of which have changed as it
passed through the two chambers of Congress, said Dr. Daniel B. German,
professor of political science.
“In order for this to be able to make it to the president, the two
bills (one which passed in the Senate and the other in the House) would
have to be merged and the differences worked out,” he said.
The Bush administration has already said it opposes some of the
provisions that were made while the bill was in the House and likely
won’t sign it into law unless those provisions are changed, according
to the New York Times.
“Financial aid is a huge issue and the affordability of [Appalachian]
was one of the reasons why I came here,” said Olivia S. Combs, a
freshmen elementary education major. “I wasn’t eligible for financial
aid and didn’t want to be in huge amounts of debt when I left school.”
The bill must now be merged and all the changes worked out between the
House and Senate versions before it will be sent to President Bush for
his signature.
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