Tuition -- rising again

By Editorial

As of this fall, a year of education at Santa Clara will carry a hefty price tag. Yes, it will be even more expensive than the current cost, with tuition and housing set to ring up a bill of over $40,000 per student. The primary reason for this price jump, as reported, is increased faculty salaries for both full and part-time faculty.

The tuition costs as of next year will be comparable to our northern neighbor, Stanford University, which is currently charging $31,200 per year for tuition alone. With rising prices, new facilities and a push to be recognized, what will be left to separate us from our private university counterparts?

Not to sound like a broken record, but Santa Clara is supposed to be different. We are Catholic, we are Jesuit, and we are supposedly committed to the education of all people. With rising costs, however, many potential students will turn away, either unable to pay altogether or repulsed by the thought of graduating with a $100,000-plus debt.

Will scholarship opportunities increase with the increased tuition? Retaining quality faculty with competitive salaries and walking in solidarity with the common person (who may not make $40,000 a year in wages) requires walking a fine line.

What is a torn university to do? St. Ignatius of Loyola, one of the first Jesuits, wrote that the basis of education is to keep a diversity of perspective. If Santa Clara becomes too exclusive, too upper-class, too image-obsessed, will it fail to serve students and society as it once hoped?

Sometimes bigger is not better, and more expensive does not always mean better quality. Santa Clara needs to carefully examine its foundation and roots in the church before deciding on an even more exclusive expense policy. There are thousands of students who are well-qualified, yet who won't even consider Santa Clara next fall because of the price tag.

Be careful, Santa Clara, before you start alienating those most in need of a solid, well-rounded education.