The Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate passed a resolution at last night's meeting to support a reduced tuition program to encourage second semester seniors to stay on campus.
The resolution backed a proposal, submitted by TCU Treasurer Jeff Katzin, calling for a tuition plan allowing second semester seniors to pay tuition on a per-course basis.
Only seniors who have fulfilled all of their distribution, major and course requirements by the end of their fall semesters would be eligible for the reduced tuition opportunity.
Katzin said the idea for reduced tuition stemmed from other colleges' policies. "I have a sister who was enrolled at Brandeis and she was in a similar program," he said.
Brandeis offers reduced tuition to seniors only. The price per course is $3,770, and about 75 students participate in the program annually.
Participating seniors at Tufts under the Senate plan would be required to take at least two courses, apply for the program in their fall semester, and be in good academic standing. They would still be eligible for housing and dining plans, and could attend any TCU event.
In a rare feat, the proposal stands to benefit both Tufts students and University coffers.
Last night, Katzin showed a cost-benefit analysis using the figure of $4,000 per class. At this price, seniors who would have graduated early could take only three courses and save $3,484.50 off the current semester tuition of $15,484.50.
Tufts would benefit because the per-course charges would be a payment the University would not have previously received, since the second semester senior would have already graduated.
Senior Sam Kortz, who will graduate two semesters early, in 2005 rather than 2006, cited financial concerns as an influential factor in his decision. "One of the reasons I chose to graduate early is that I get to save $40,000," he said.
Kortz said he supported the Senate plan. "It sounds pretty sweet to me, I'd definitely do it," Kortz said. "You'd still get to hang out with your friends."
Katzin said he calculated the value of courses to come up with figures for his analysis. "The way I figured it out, if you're taking four courses [you end up paying] around $3,800 [per course,]" he said. "I picked a [per-course price] that would be cost-effective if you take only two or three courses."
According to Katzin's proposal, a Senate survey of the Tufts student body found that "of those students who were eligible to graduate early, approximately 55.4 percent said they would prefer to stay an extra semester without having to pay full tuition."
Katzin said he hopes the Senate's resolution will aid the reception of his proposal in a meeting today with Dean of Arts and Sciences Susan Ernst, Dean of Engineering Linda Abriola, and Director of Finance and Planning Sue Leverone.
At the meeting, Katzin said he would propose both reduced tuition for second semester seniors and a change to the student activities fee. "I think it has lots of support from students, so I need some support from the administration," he said.
