Tuition increases not sustainable, student regent says - Bill Robinson, The Richmond Register

The steady pace of rising college costs is unsustainable, Eastern Kentucky University student regent Caleb Armbrust said Tuesday as he reluctantly voted to approve the university’s $233.4 million budget for the 2011-12 fiscal year. In April, as student regents traditionally do, Armbrust voted against the 5-percent increase, the board approved then. Only six regents were present for Tuesday’s meeting, the minimum needed for passage, Armbrust noted, or he may have voted against the budget that also reflects a 5-percent increase in dormitory fees and a 3.75 percent increase in meal plans. Tuition for Model Laboratory School students will rise 1.5 percent for kindergarten students and 1.3 percent for students in grades 1-12. Tuition for nursery students will remain unchanged. The university budget, that will be nearly 7 percent larger than the previous year’s, also includes a 2-percent pay raise for faculty and staff.