Recently, the Board of Regents approved a five-year plan for undergraduate enrollment and tuition increases at the University of Minnesota.
I expect this plan, if successful, will decrease the number of low-income students. In addition, low-income students who do enroll will experience a rise in the net cost of attendance and student loan debt. In other words, the plan will price out low-income students from attending the University.
It’s not too late to change this plan. The administration and the Board of Regents will not change direction on their own, of course. The students, faculty and staff at the University — as well as the public and state Legislature — can force the change.
First, however, we need accurate information. We need to ask the administration to provide data that answer questions about enrollment and loan debt, among other things. I expect the data will show that the University has discouraged (and will continue to discourage) the poor and encourage the rich.
Andy Howe
University alumnus
