PHOENIX
Students plan to press Arizona leaders to put the brakes on tuition hikes in 2008.
The Arizona Students’ Association is calling for a tuition freeze next year and $25 million more for university budgets.
The group says the $25 million figure is the equivalent of a 5 percent tuition increase.
University presidents are expected to release details this week of their tuition proposals.
The student association said their strategy is designed to influence the Legislature, Gov. Janet Napolitano and the Arizona Board of Regents.
In December, the regents will vote on tuition for the 2008-09 school year.
Tuition and fees at ASU’s Tempe campus have increased in recent years to nearly $5,000 a year for undergraduates.
That is nearly double what it was five years ago.
“That is absolutely unacceptable, and we need to do something about this,” said Liz Simonhoff, president of ASU Tempe’s Undergraduate Student Government.
University presidents have maintained that the cost of attending Arizona universities is well below the national average.
Tuition and fees average $6,185 at four-year public universities, up 6.6 percent over the previous year, the College Board said.
Information from: The Arizona Republic, http://www.azcentral.com
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