Students wary of rising tuition

By Robbie Dingeman
Advertiser Staff Writer

Some students are discouraged that the proposed six-year contract for the University of Hawai'i professors and instructors could mean tuition increases starting in September 2006, but they say they don't think the increases will force them or most of the other students to choose another campus.

"It's going to be harder to keep up our grades if tuition goes up," said Ravi Mohandie, 18, a UH-Manoa freshman studying civil engineering who lives in a dormitory.

He said a 10-percent increase could force more students to take jobs or work longer hours to pay for their education, but he sees a need for a pay raise for professors.

"They deserve it, I think," he said. "They're doing a lot of work to teach us."

Odeelo Dayondon, a junior studying marketing in the college of business at the Manoa campus, also sees both a need for the pay raise and some reason to worry about a tuition increase.

"Personally, it wouldn't affect me, but I would feel for the other students," he said. "I think a good number could be affected."

Dayondon, 21, of Salt Lake, a part-time employee for the state Department of Education working with the Distributive Education Clubs of America, a marketing club for high-school students, said he firmly believes in the importance of paying educators for their work.

"I feel for the faculty members," he said. "They're underpaid, and I think they're deserving of it. They make a big difference in people's lives."

Senior exchange student Jennifer Scanlan of California said any increase in tuition will make some students reconsider UH.

"I think it would definitely make a difference," the Manoa student said. "A lot of us work really hard to be able to go to school working a couple of jobs."

Tuition at UH-Manoa is one of the lowest of comparable state institutions, ranked 17th of the 19 state colleges considered peer institutions with similar missions, student body size and comparable research capabilities.