NAU works to mitigate tuition increases

ABIGAIL CELAYA

NAU is working to decrease the cost of tuition and keep college as affordable as possible by collaborating with students to determine price increases on campus. The efforts are in accordance with Article 11 of the Arizona Constitution which states that tuition should be kept at a low cost so education is accessible to as many students as possible.

Data on tuition costs show a previous 2-1 ratio in favor of the state’s university funding versus what students paid to attend. In 2017, the ratio reversed and the state paid less than half of what students paid.

The university has put a cap on tuition increases. For the next six years, students will not see more than a 3% tuition increase.

Those who enrolled during the time of the tuition pledge program specifically will not see an increase. The program, which had its last run this academic year, guaranteed enrolled students would not see a tuition increase during their first four years as an undergraduate. If first-time students enroll at NAU for fall 2023, they will not receive the tuition lock.

In place of the pledge program, the Access2Excellence program will start in the fall and guarantee free college for any students who come from a household with a combined income of $65,000 or less a year.

Senior and Student Body President Brendan Trachsel advocates for students when NAU determines the rate of housing, dining, tuition and fees. Public universities communicate with the Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR) to determine what students pay for the school year.

“I believe with my heart [NAU] is doing the best they can to reduce costs for students, but the fact of the matter is they are working within a greater system that just isn’t working for them,” Trachsel said. “So, until we see expanded significant state support, we aren’t going to see lower tuition for students.”

Tuition increases are primarily used to fund education and staffing.

“The increases that are being brought to students are simply paying for the bottom line,” Trachsel said. “We are not funding the wildest dreams of the university administration. We are paying for our education and the resources we get.”

Amanda Cornelius is associate vice president of enrollment management at NAU. She oversees the Office of Financial Aid, Enrollment Management Communications and the Jacks on Track Program

Cornelius said NAU uses a lot of money to invest in employment, with approximately 60% of its expenses going toward staff. In January, faculty and staff received a 4.5% salary increase, which cost $14.5 million in recurring expenditures.

NAU offers a number of scholarships and has low student loan debt averages. Cornelius said she has seen

WATER ACCESS continued from FRONT

“It’s important to have that understanding that a place your family has been for generations is a place you don’t want to leave,” Janss said. “It’s also important for us to get water access to those people too, because it’s a human right.”

Janss said DigDeep is looking to expand NWP to additional communities across the Navajo Nation.

Black Mesa is home to a diverse system of aquifers used by locals to meet their water needs. This includes most of the Navajo aquifer, which stores drinking water and is used by Diné and Hopi communities.

Historically, coal plants have taken advantage of this aquifer and others like it. Tó Nizhóní Ání, a nonprofit which translates to “sacred the number of scholarships increase every year regardless of tuition increases. These scholarship opportunities come from new scholarship donors, along with new community organizations “In the 2021-22 academic year, we disbursed over $20 million in scholarships, up over $400,000 from the previous year,” Cornelius said. “This does not include tuition waivers.”

Ninety-five percent of first-year students at NAU receive financial aid, leaving 5% of students to pay for college on their own, according to an NAU paying-for-college flyer.

“Each institution has its own needs and goals, but I

“IT’S IMPORTANT TO HAVE THAT UNDERSTANDING THAT A PLACE YOUR FAMILY HAS BEEN FOR GENERATIONS IS A PLACE YOU DON’T WANT TO LEAVE,” JANSS SAID. “IT’S ALSO IMPORTANT FOR US TO GET WATER ACCESS TO THOSE PEOPLE TOO, BECAUSE IT’S A HUMAN RIGHT.”

– Katie Janss, program operations manager for Navajo Water Project

ILLUSTRATION BY CALLEIGH JUDAY think NAU does a great job of keeping tuition as affordable as possible,” Cornelius said. “During the pandemic, tuition was not increased for three consecutive years. Any proposed increases are discussed and carefully weighed to best suit the needs of students, faculty and staff — the whole NAU community.” ensure water sources on Black Mesa are protected from industrial contamination and misuse.

Students can see what scholarships they are eligible for, how much federal aid they may receive and the number of federal loans they can take out by filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

In the ‘70s, the coal mining company Peabody Energy began operating the Black Mesa and Kayenta Mines. Both mines used high quantities of leased water from the Navajo aquifer to transport coal to the Mohave Power Station in Laughlin, Nevada and the Navajo Generating Station in Page, Arizona.

On average, the Black Mesa Mine required 1.3 billion gallons of water annually to function. In 2005, the mine permanently closed along with the Mohave Power Station. The Navajo Generating Station and Kayenta Mine later closed in 2019.

The mining operation had a lasting impact on the Navajo aquifer. According to the National Resources Defense Council, declines in the aquifer’s structural stability and water quality were amplified by the corporation’s 50 years of water use.