Recently I received a letter in the mail stating that Saint Xavier decided that they would be raising tuition for the 2021-2022 school year. I find it to be extremely upsetting, especially considering the current world we live in.
The letter stated, “After much consideration about the economic environment, the needs of our student population and Saint Xavier’s responsibility to provide high-quality academics to support clear college to career pathways, the board decided to raise full-time undergraduate tuition for 2021-2022 by 1%, representing an increase of $330 over last year.”
Saint Xavier’s use of diction was very upsetting to me. We have been living in a pandemic for the past year, and many people have lost their jobs. If Saint Xavier had truly been considering the economic environment and the student population’s needs, they would not have increased tuition.
Some might say, “Oh well, it’s only an increase of $330,” but it truly adds up. I find it to be incredibly upsetting because the majority of classes are all online. It is not at all the same to experience an online course vs. an in-person one.
Right now it is not possible to resume in person classes like before, still I believe it is reason enough not to raise tuition since students are not receiving the same educational experience or interaction.
When I first read the letter, it honestly felt like a slap in the face to me. I am not fortunate enough to have my parents pay for college, so it all comes out of my own pocket.
Times have been challenging, and so it’s upsetting that Saint Xavier still decided to raise tuition. It would be useful for Saint Xavier to explain why the tuition needs to increase or what the money is going to be used for.
I was also upset when I learned that SXU would raise tuition because of the recent email from SXU explaining the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund II. In the email, it stated that SXU was awarded $6.5 million through the relief fund.
Of those $6.5 million, the school was required to distribute $2.028 million to the students. That still leaves $4.472 million left for Saint Xavier.
Additionally, the email did not state what the remaining funds would be going towards, but I am curious to know if the money would be distributed adequately. Saint Xavier now allocates $4.472 million of the funds, and yet this decision prompted a 1% increase of tuition costs for the 2021-2022 academic school year.
I feel it is necessary for the school to explain why this tuition raise is necessary, and how the remaining funds would be prioritized. If students are aware of how the money is being distributed, perhaps it wouldn’t be so upsetting.
I still do not believe SXU should have raised tuition during a pandemic, but hopefully the institution is using this money to benefit college students and their education.
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