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The Tuition is Too Damn High

“Tuition will increase next year by approximately $1,400,

bringing the annual total to $32,810.” About two

months ago, I read those words in the school newspaper

of Marquette University. Before I even had the distantthought in my mind of being a student at Marquette, my

parents had

already

decided, in an

attempt to

build character

and ensure

that I truly

value my

education, that

I would be the

one paying the bill for tuition. So, as a college student

funding his own education, these words sat in my

stomach as well as a glass of milk that had sat out for

two hours too long. Although $1,400 isn’t a significant

amount of money compared to the amount of debt I’ve

already accumulated, it’s the principle of Marquette

asking for even more money while they throw it away

with poor spending habits. So I decided to take a stroll

down to the financial aid office of Marquette to find out

all the wonderful benefits I would be receiving from the

11 million dollar increase in Marquette’s revenue.

Walking into Room 121 of Zilber Hall (pictured right), I

was greeted with the faint smell of stale coffee and a

polite “Hello,” from a man behind his desk. It was this

man, a financial aid advisor for Marquette, who simply

told me that students of Marquette University “would

never see the 11 million dollars” generated by next

year’s increase in tuition. And Marquette is not the only

university increasing their tuition next year. Universities

across the U.S. are reporting anywhere from 3 to 5

percent increases in tuition for the next school year.

This leaves students like myself wondering; what are

these increases for? And are they truly necessary? A

college education is, by most people’s standards,

already outrageously expensive. And if the school is

going to make students pay more for their education,

shouldn’t said students be reaping the benefits of an 11

million dollar increase in revenue? According to that

financial advisor of Room 121 of Zilber Hall at Marquette

University, the answer is an unequivocal no. So, upo

receiving this answer, I began the search for where th

money was going, and how Marquette, along with othe

universities, could prevent tuition increases by cuttincosts elsewhere.

According to the article in The Marquette Tribune, som

of the money will go to a 3% increase for the salary poo

of faculty; which in my mind is an acceptable place to b

spending money. But that is the only actual planne

destination for the money. The Vice President o

Finance Chuck Lamb stated Marquette “would love t

have a zero percent

increase every year,

but running the

university costsmoney.” In my

personal opinion,

some of these

“costs” to run the

university could

easily be cut.

Just last week, I was eating lunch at the student unio

with some friends. A girl on the volleyball team joine

us, and brought with her two boxes of food. But th

wasn’t your normal, below average, meal-plan-provide

grub that is force fed to Marquette students. No, th

was fresh, catered, deliciousness in a box. She was kin

enough to share with us, and my taste buds were grace

with meat ravioli covered in delightful marinara sauc

accompanied by a bounty of fresh vegetables. This

the type of meal that is available to many of th

Marquette athletes on campus. While the non-athlet

Marquette students will never see the 11 million dolla

increase in revenue, especially in areas like food service

that need serious improvement, the athletes ar

indulging in gourmet

dishes.

This preferential

treatment is only the tip

of the iceberg of money

that Marquette throws at

student athletes,

especially the basketball

April 11, 20

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team. Every basketball player is granted a full ride

scholarship to Marquette, and according to the Athletic

Scholarships website, it costs about $140,000 to fund

each player. According to the Marquette Tribune, in

2008-2009, Marquette spent about 10.3 million dollars

on the basketball team and generated 13.4 million.

Marquette is one of two schools in the nation that spent

over 10 million, the other being Duke University, who,

let’s be honest, is a little more successful with their

basketball endeavors. Marquette, and many universities

across the country who place a strong emphasis on their

athletic department, could easily slash spending for

athletics by cutting down on the fancy food and

outrageous scholarships, and ease the burden on the

non-athletically inclined like myself by avoiding tuition

increases and maybe even granting additional academic-

based scholarships.

Most of my pondering on the subject of Marquette’s

spending habits occurred in the shower. This shower

can be found in the bathroom of floor 9 West of 

McCormick Hall. This bathroom is a microcosm of 

Marquette’s wasteful use of utilities. These bathrooms

are lit 24/7 and the

urinals are

constantly running

water. These

wasteful practices

occur throughout

all of campus, with

Zilber Hall itself 

being constantly lit

even when

uninhabited. Water and electricity, especially in the city,

are not cheap commodities, with rates increasing each

year. Not only does this hurt the environment, but it

also has a heavy impact on the budget, forcing

Marquette to set aside extra money for utilities. Other

colleges, such as the University of Dayton, are saving

millions by switching to more energy efficient lightingand encouraging more conservative use of water.

Marquette and other inefficient colleges could adopt

these practices so as to avoid tuition increases for

students.

By the time I have completed my undergraduate

education and my post-graduate education in dental

school, I will begin the long journey to pay off upward

of $360,000 worth of debt (that is, if there aren’t an

drastic increases in tuition). And I’m not alone in thi

College students everywhere are plagued with th

burden of student loans. And with colleges continual

raising tuitions, this burden only grows larger and larger

Surprisingly, there was not much of a commotion from

Marquette’s student body when this increase wa

announced. Perhaps, students were too distracted wit

our beloved basketball team’s march to Marc

Madness. Maybe it was because many students let the

parents worry about such minor things; after all, it’s on

“their” money. Heck, there was a bigger outcry from

students at Penn State when Saint Joe was summari

dismissed from his post, and he was complicit t

covering up a felony! So, I challenge my fellow studentformer students, and even parents of students, to le

the governing boards of Marquette and universitie

everywhere know that these increases ar

unacceptable. Universities raise their prices becaus

they can. It is just an accepted rite that is rare

protested. Would they continue to push such increase

if the majority of the student body protested on th

streets of Milwaukee? Would conducting a sit-in on th

scale of the one in Madison change some minds? Mayb

some exposure on ABC Nightly News would cause them

to pause and look a little harder to cut 11 million dolla

from their operating budget. Or, would students rathe

pay the extra $1,400 per year so our athletes are we

fed just so we can,  again, be disappointed after th

Sweet Sixteen? 

W. Chiassso

Wesley Chiasson