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USG backs higher tuition, senators skeptical of survey results
Senator moves to create financial oversight task force to deal with questions of fairness in funding
Allison Lex
Issue date: 3/6/09 Section: News
USG finalized a statement of position in support of UConn's proposed tuition increase amidst heated debate about a recent student survey and funding issues at the March 4 meeting.
The statement of position, which will be submitted to the Board of Trustees on March 10, was the main issue the student government contended with during the nearly five-hour-long meeting.
Initially, USG President Meredith Zaritheny presented a statement of position to the Senate that said UConn's student body supported tuition increase option C, which includes an 8.67 percent tuition increase and about 80 to 100 layoffs of faculty and staff.
The statement was largely based on the results of an online student survey that many USG members now consider to be faulty because of the number of responses received, according to Speaker of the Senate Corey Schmitt.
USG received about 18,800 responses to their survey. According to the College Board, there are only 16,500 undergraduates on the Storrs campus.
Schmitt said this is problematic because "USG can only technically represent undergraduate students at the Storrs campus."
The survey, which was supposed to be sent only to the 16,500 students USG represents, was instead sent out to the student-announce listserv. Listserv e-mails reach 51,000 recipients, including faculty, graduate students and students at satellite campuses.
USG comptroller Jason Ortiz was disappointed the results of the survey were used as the basis of a statement that was supposed to represent the opinions of the undergraduate UConn population.
"I feel the student body was grossly misrepresented [Wednesday] night," he said.
Schmitt said the general consensus was that the survey was unreliable and, after nearly an hour of intense debate, Zaritheny withdrew her original statement. Zaritheny could not be reached for comment on the issue.
Eventually, the wording on the original proposal was changed so that it no longer advocated option C as the opinion of the student body. Instead, the revised statement of position says, "the undergraduate student government supports a proposed increase of tuition of 8.67 percent." This proposal was passed with a majority vote.
The statement of position, which will be submitted to the Board of Trustees on March 10, was the main issue the student government contended with during the nearly five-hour-long meeting.
Initially, USG President Meredith Zaritheny presented a statement of position to the Senate that said UConn's student body supported tuition increase option C, which includes an 8.67 percent tuition increase and about 80 to 100 layoffs of faculty and staff.
The statement was largely based on the results of an online student survey that many USG members now consider to be faulty because of the number of responses received, according to Speaker of the Senate Corey Schmitt.
USG received about 18,800 responses to their survey. According to the College Board, there are only 16,500 undergraduates on the Storrs campus.
Schmitt said this is problematic because "USG can only technically represent undergraduate students at the Storrs campus."
The survey, which was supposed to be sent only to the 16,500 students USG represents, was instead sent out to the student-announce listserv. Listserv e-mails reach 51,000 recipients, including faculty, graduate students and students at satellite campuses.
USG comptroller Jason Ortiz was disappointed the results of the survey were used as the basis of a statement that was supposed to represent the opinions of the undergraduate UConn population.
"I feel the student body was grossly misrepresented [Wednesday] night," he said.
Schmitt said the general consensus was that the survey was unreliable and, after nearly an hour of intense debate, Zaritheny withdrew her original statement. Zaritheny could not be reached for comment on the issue.
Eventually, the wording on the original proposal was changed so that it no longer advocated option C as the opinion of the student body. Instead, the revised statement of position says, "the undergraduate student government supports a proposed increase of tuition of 8.67 percent." This proposal was passed with a majority vote.
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Conservative
posted 3/08/09 @ 6:22 AM EST
USG would support a tuition increase ... what a bunch of morons.
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