The Board of Trustees approved a tuition increase for University of Oregon students this afternoon. It affects undergraduate students who are Oregon residents.
The plan is to increase tuition on a sliding scale, anywhere from 4.45 to 9.68 percent, depending on what assistance the university receives from the state.
Charlie Keene is the very student this increase will affect. Keene shared the struggle of being a first-generation, Oregon-born, lower-middle class student.
“This term I had to choose between paying for books, for classes, my medical bills and medications, paying rent on time and getting groceries. A sharp increase in tuition would price me out,” said Keene. “I urge the Board of Trustees to deeply consider the values that this university claims to hold. Do not balance the budget on our backs. Do not price us out.”
The decision followed over two hours of public comments urging the board to find an alternative solution.
