Are undergrads seriously up in arms over a $20 flat fee plus $3 per credit hour for the new Reitz Union? I’m an out-of-state student receiving $0 in government aid. In case you’re unaware, out-of-state tuition is now approaching $800 per credit. My Reitz student fee of $65 would buy me a little more than one hour of class at UF.
I’m not complaining about my out-of-state tuition. I made a conscious decision to go to school here instead of my own in-state university, a school that pales in comparison (academically, athletically, socially and otherwise) to UF. I’m just saying that $65 (assuming a 15-credit semester) is not unreasonable, considering what we’re getting in return. It’s not like we’re all shelling out $65 to help Bernie Machen buy a private jet. A renovated student union in the dead middle of campus for $65 a semester? Sounds like an OK deal to me.
The grad students have ground to complain; I understand most are accumulating debt by the day and are making a salary such that any tuition increase hits their wallets pretty hard. But for the Bright Futures undergrads whose parents probably shelled out $65 for dinner last night at Outback anyway — relax. Be grateful you’re a citizen of this state in the first place, pay no state income tax and have the opportunity to attend one of the top 50 schools in the nation for little or no cost.
