View My Stats

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Coalition of public university students call for transparency


From left): Adriane Purdom, a student at the University of Texas, talks about the need for transparency at Texas public universities so students can know clearly where their tuition goes. Purdom is joined by Lauren Pierce of UT, Alicia Stewart of Texas A&M University, Nathan McDaniel of Texas State University, and Jenna White, of UT.

At a joint press conference at the Texas Capitol, a coalition of public university students and free market organizations put out a united call for more transparency, accountability, accessibility and affordability at Texas universities to curb the out-of-control increase in college tuition.

The coalition, made up of Americans for Prosperity Foundation, FreedomWorks, America’s Next Impact, the University of Texas College Republicans, the UT Young Conservatives, and students from UT, Texas A&M, and Texas State University spoke about the common problem today’s university students face with high student loan debt.
Over the past decade, the average tuition at the state’s largest university grew 120 percent. Statewide, tuition is up 83 percent since 2003.

The coalition is encouraging students, college graduates and those paying into the higher education system to weigh in on the reform debate by calling for high-quality education to be the No. 1 priority for universities. The group also calls for transparency within the university budget system, so those paying into the system – whether through tuition or tax dollars – know just what the universities consider a priority.

Americans for Prosperity Foundation launched the Rock the Ivory Tower petition to call for higher education to be more accessible and affordable so more people can graduate without being burdened by overwhelming student loan debt. The petition is available by going to
www.RockTheIvoryTower.com.

No comments: