The student governments of Idaho State University and Lewis Clark State College have filed a lawsuit against the Idaho State Board of Education (SBOE) challenging the legality of student fees vs. tuition. On the matter, ISU student body president Terry Fredrickson, said
"The State Board of Education has been playing this shell game for quite a while. After 15 straight years of unchecked student fee increases, we're left with no other recourse."
First, I agree with President Fredrickson that a shell game has been occurring for 20 years regarding student fees. For those of you who don't know to what shell game he is referring, here is a brief overview:
the Idaho Constitution prohibits charging residents for college tuition. But in 1986, lawmakers defined tuition as the cost of student instruction and let colleges and universities charge "matriculation fees" to pay institutional expenses.
However, if you look at the balance sheet, the state does not provide enough funding to cover all the expenses necessary so more state money is taken out of institutional expenses and spent on instruction. Although resident students are not technically paying for their instruction, they do through other avenues (like institutional expenses).
Secondly however, President Fredrickson is an idiot when he says "we're left with no other recourse." Their lawsuit is only asking for an injunction to stop the SBOE from setting matriculation fees. If that is accomplished, university presidents (with or without the involvement of students) will most likely set their own fees. On top of that, it will only increase the likelihood that the legislature, or the SBOE, will allow for tuition at ISU and LCSC, which neither student government wants.
Brilliant.
And now, for the
Slingshizzle "What their lawsuit should have done if they weren’t idiots" alternative:
The lawsuit should have asked for damages from the State Board of Education and the State of Idaho in the amount of $100 million in compensation of back student fee costs.
If awarded that money, The plaintiffs should have placed the money in a scholarship account for future resident students to off-set the rising cost of student fees.
But hey, that's just me...
