Most at ISU favor possible tuition freeze

Most students at Idaho State University like the idea of freezing tuition for students, in light of an Idaho Senate panel introducing legislation to freeze tuition Tuesday.

The bill would guarantee undergraduate students they would pay the same rate for at least four academic years. Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter’s office unveiled the plan to the Senate Education Committee. It wouldn’t cover room and board costs.

Reese Davis, a freshman at Idaho State University, hasn’t experienced any kind of tuition increase yet, but she likes the idea of knowing how much her tuition would be year-to-year.

“It’d be nice to know what you’re coming up against,” Davis said.

However, being the business student she is, if the extra tuition dollars from an increase are going to things to better her education– she won’t necessarily mind an increase.

“I care more about the education I’m getting out of this than the few hundred dollars in tuition,” she said.

For this academic year, ISU’s tuition went up 3.3 percent. For the previous academic year, it went up 3.5 percent.

John Kenison is in his third year at ISU, he sees the need for a freeze in tuition.

“You think you’re going to be paying this amount, but then all of a sudden they decide to increase it,” he said. “You’re like, ‘What the heck?’ I thought I was going to pay this much but I can’t afford that.”

ISU is excited to see a tuition freeze plan in the works, especially by Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter’s hand. In his annual address to state lawmakers, Otter announced a desire for tuition freezes. However, since there’s nothing set in-stone yet, it’ll be a waiting game for now.

“This would be a great initiative to help those students that maybe don’t have all the financial scholarships to help them through the educational process,” said Stuart Summers, associate vice president of the university’s marketing and communications department.

As it is now, the bill is slated to cost the state roughly $8.1 million a year.