Consumer alert: a letter on behalf of concerned students

June 27, 2001

Via Campus Mail

Chancellor Mark Nordenberg

University of Pittsburgh… June 27, 2001

Via Campus Mail

Chancellor Mark Nordenberg

University of Pittsburgh

107 Cathedral of Learning

Pittsburgh, PA 15260

Dear Chancellor Nordenberg,

We are writing to you to voice our concerns regarding the impending tuition hike to be voted upon by the Board of Trustees on Thursday. While we recognize the ever increasing costs of higher education and applaud the University’s effort to improve the quality of education at Pitt, we are not convinced a 7.5 percent hike (an extra $480 for in-state students) has been justified.

A number of concerns come to mind. For example, consider Pitt is raising tuition in order to offer more financial aid. Think about that. It’s ludicrous to charge more money in order to give more back.

Additionally, increasing wages as an incentive to keep and attract top-rate faculty is offered as another reason. While the largest funding increase would be for faculty and staff compensation, tenure rates are falling nationwide. Pitt should do something to counter that trend. Increased funding to faculty should serve this purpose, but it hasn’t in years past.

Which leads to another major concern: accountability. We didn’t see the benefits of last year’s tuition increase and now we’re talking about even larger increase.

We the students demand to know where the money is going. When you buy a car, you want to know exactly what you’re getting for your money.

In fact, what other thing do you buy that gets more expensive unpredictably? And with little or nothing to show for it?

Show us the money. This year in-state students want to get an extra $480 worth of education. Out-of-staters demand their extra $1,056. Show us more and better tenured and tenure-track faculty, better undergraduate programs and facilities and better advising.

And for our extra large chunk of change, we best get a renegotiated PAT contract for continued free bus fare. For that much, it’s the least Pitt can do.

Very truly yours,

____________________

(sign your name here and mail)