By Tanner Knauth, Page Editor
ACU has decided to raise tuition, a trend since the 1990-91 school year, to $630 an hour. I do not begrudge ACU for raising tuition; it is simply the price of doing business. However, in light of today’s economy, I am more interested in what exactly my money is getting me. ACU needs to be completely transparent on where students’ money is going and needs to make extremely public both its short-term and long-term goals for the university.
Because of the disparaging job outlook, ACU should be proactive in trying to place graduates in jobs in their respective fields. ACU already has a Career Service Center, but expanding the capabilities and resources of this center would go a long way toward easing the minds of graduates who worry the only thing their tuition has gotten them is a mountain of debt.
The economic stimulus package has promised money to education, and ACU needs to have experts on hand to provide answers to students and their families about what may be available to help pay for the rising cost of education. ACU should continue to work with students and go above and beyond its current financial aid system to ensure students are well educated on all the aid, scholarships and grants available to them. ACU can entice current students to stay by offering more scholarships available only to currently enrolled students.
For some time now, I have heard of ACU’s intention to build a new recreation center. A recent article in the Optimist had an appropriate title for how I feel about the recreation center, A Question of When. ACU should make it a point of emphasis to break ground on the new recreation center as soon as possible.
The current weight room facilities open to students are woefully inadequate, and the recent opening of the Bob and Shirley Hunter Welcome Center leaves me with the feeling that the administration is more concerned with attracting new students and less concerned with the current ones. I understand the functionality of the Welcome Center but, save for curiosity’s sake, I have yet to have a reason to step foot into the building. A recreation center would be an immediate upgrade to the campus and a building the entire student body could quickly take advantage of upon its completion.
The financial status of the university is a complicated issue. Even if one were to devote weeks of study, one would not be able to fully comprehend the complexities of balancing between creating an exciting educational environment with making sure the budget remains balanced. However, the university should make an effort to ensure students feel they benefit from the tuition hike.
ACU presents students with a unique educational opportunity. Students are treated to a Christian educational environment as well as a university dedicated to preparing its students for an ever-changing world. But the growing prohibitive cost may prevent some students from considering ACU; however, the expansion of a few programs and the completion of a state-of-the-art recreation center would go a long way toward making the ACU experience a must for those seeking higher education.
