This special issue was written by students in the Journalism I class.
Spring Break Express Issue
The Wilson Billboard March 9, 2012 Wilson College Chambersburg, Pennsylvania Vol. XXXXV, No. 2
A Struggling Economy Forces Student Fees to Rise as Tuition Remains Constant by Jyostna Dhakal
The Board of Trustees approved a 1.2 percent increase in fees and voted to maintain the tuition for next year at the 2011-2012 rate of $28,745. The increment amounts to $458.00, paid by full-time, residential students for the next academic year. The Board made the decision upon the recommendation of President Barbara K. Mistick. The 1.2 percent raise consists of 4.5 percent individual increases in housing, board and technology, along with a 2 percent increment in the College Government fee. “Utilities such as water, electricity, gas or oil are not free to anyone, including Wilson. They are going up all across the country at rates much higher than our 1.2 percent increase,” says Vice President for Enrollment, Mary Ann Naso. Besides offsetting the direct
increases of providing services, the additional revenue will support ongoing operations, says Vice President for Finance and Administration, Brian Ecker. “We are converting over to a Datatel system, which is an integrated information technology system,” he says. “I keep seeing increases in the costs, but not much is changing,” says Kate Johnston ‘13. She finds increases in fees acceptable as long as changes are being made. 96 percent of Wilson students receive some form of financial aid. According to Dean of Financial Aid, Linda Brittain, the decision will not have much impact on financial aid. She says, “We definitely will be awarding the financial aid that students generally received in the past.” Ayorkor Dua ’14, from Ghana,
says, “It’s a good thing tuition isn’t going up.” For Dua, the cost of education reaches $7,000 every semester despite the financial aid she receives. Although her parents pay for her education, Dua says she could have used the incremented amount to pay her phone bills, or buy her textbooks which “are so costly.” Wilson obtains a six year average retention rate of 74 percent for freshman to sophomore year. One-third of the accepted applicant pool does not enroll for reasons related to cost. Ecker expects holding the tuition will help Wilson with retention. He anticipates positive responses since “it is such a small increase.” The increment from the fall 2010 to the fall 2011 was 3.72 percent. Johnston says, “$458.00 could mean the difference between
having horse lessons here and not being able to ride next year.” Johnston took $8,000 in private loans last year and $14,000 this year, to pay for her education. “It’s been tough,” she says. At about the same time that the decision was made, James Hay, Assistant Prof. of Accounting, put forward a proposal that Wilson cut its tuition by 15 percent for two successive years, and hold it constant at that for two more years. He also proposed that Wilson guarantee incoming freshmen a maximum cost for four academic years, and that the college announces its tuition amounts a year earlier than they are currently. Hay hopes the college will consider this proposal in the future. “Hopefully all three of those things will help us attract more students,” he says.
but, the phone is rarely used. Van capacity issues are part of the problem. Mary Beth ‘15 says, “We need to wait because the shuttle is too full.” Manager of Student Development Office, Lorie Helman says, “We can only have ten students in the van by law. It depends on where they want to go and how many stops we make for the students.” She points out that sometimes students are not there to meet the driver. “If it is possible, there should be two shuttles for saving waste time,” says Kisha Pradhan ‘15. She also suggest an afternoon shuttle after classes so as not to miss
dinner. Some students recommend fixed time schedules at each stop. Helman says, “If we had more money in our budget, we could do so.” She considered having a van for Walmart and the mall, and another van for local shops. However, the problem is the budget and some nights the extra van is not necessary. To make improvements, Helman wants to communicate with students. Helman adds, “Students need to report their complaints to me. I will talk to the driver if we have to fix something, and I will try to figure out how we can make the shuttle service better.” Reports can be sent to lorie.helman@wilson.edu.
Students gather outside in the cold, rainy weather to wait for the shuttle van service, which consistently runs late on Friday evenings Photo by Soyoung An
Unpredictable Shuttle Services Compel Students to Speak Up for Schedule Improvements by Soyoung An
Every Friday from 5:15pm10:00pm, the school offers a shuttle service to and from shopping centers. The shuttle travels a loop around Wilson and to the nearby shopping locations. However, the shuttle does not consistently run on the scheduled times. Students have reported waiting for over two hours for the shuttle. “The unpredictable shuttle time makes me upset. Last Friday, I waited almost two hours outside. I even do not know how I can contact the driver,” says Hye Jin Kim ‘13. Advisor of International Students, Paul Miller, offers the drivers cell phone for the International Students
2012 Orr Forum “Ethical Formation in a Post-Secular Age” Autonomy After Virtue - Mon, April 16, 5:00pm Scripture (Secular and Sacred) In the Task of Ethical Formation - Tues, April 17, 10:30am Forming a More Perfect Union: Democratic Virtues, Proximate Goods and Christian Formation - Tues, April 17, 7:00pm
Harry R. Brooks Complex Auditorium