In a trend that is becoming regrettably unsurprising, tuition will be even higher in the 2011-2012 academic year. As of Thursday, the University has raised its price for 14 consecutive years when the University's Board of Regents approved an increase of 6.7 percent for in-state students and 4.9 percent for out-of-state students. Republican Gov. Rick Snyder’s funding cuts have placed an incredible burden on educational institutions around the state, but the University took the easy way out by passing the cuts almost entirely on to students with tuition increases. These measures will only price out lower income families and place a more weight on those struggling to pay an already high tuition.

The University’s funding dilemma clearly starts with Snyder’s budget. As emphasized ad nauseam, education should be the last public sector to be cut. Regardless of his claims to the contrary, Snyder seems eager to slash the state expenditure on education and, invariably, its quality. The “brain drain” that the state has experienced over the past decade and other education-related problems will likely become more severe if education is continuously neglected by the state.

Nonetheless, the difficult situation created by the Michigan Legislature does little to excuse the poor response taken by the University. Facing a cut of $47.5 million in state funds, the University has passed along $46.4 million, or 97 percent, of this load on to students. Surely there are other ways the University could make up this deficit besides raising tuition. Methods in previous years included operational downsizing and the elimination of certain programs, such as the Center for Ethics in Public Life. With such drastic cuts, students may have to take on a portion of the state cuts, but they shouldn’t be forced to handle the entire burden.

Every year college students around the nation are priced out of education. To the University’s credit, the increase in tuition has been coupled with a large increase in financial aid. Families making $80,000 per year or less will not be impacted by the tuition hikes. Regardless, the increased strain on families above this cutoff is substantial. The University may strive to maintain its quality by charging increased tuition rates instead of making tough expenditure cuts, but socio-economic diversity also leads to the greatness of the University. The increase in financial aid is not enough to help every family who needs extra money, and there are going to be families caught in the middle who are unable to afford the new price tag.

Where will we be in 15 years if this yearly tuition increase continues? The trend is unsustainable and alarming. The state’s budget created a tough situation for Michigan's schools, but instead of working towards a creative solution, the University simply passed the problem along to an economically ailing population. The University may realize it has a duty to provide a quality education, but it also must make that education affordable to the less wealthy students who also desire it. The University would do well to remember that the former is aided by the latter.