UF administrators and Student Government leaders remain embroiled in a battle over the implementation of block tuition at UF.
Students will have the chance this week to voice their opinion on the measure, which would allow the university to charge all students a flat-rate tuition for 15 credit hours.
The vote will take place Tuesday and Wednesday as part of SG spring elections but may not affect the university’s course of action.
“We’re always interested in what students think,” said UF spokesman Steve Orlando, “but the board voted on it and it’s set to go into effect.”
Block tuition will be implemented in 2012, pending approval from the Florida Board of Governors. The measure was proposed to take effect in fall 2011, but UF’s Board of Trustees voted to delay its arrival and gather more data.
Despite student opposition last semester, UF administrators, armed with statistics that point toward block tuition benefiting the university, are standing firm on the issue.
Statistics include this one: 14.1. That’s the average number of credit hours students take.
The goal of block tuition is to give students incentive to work through college faster and free up space for new students.
However, both candidates for Student Body President, Dave Schneider of the Progress Party and Ben Meyers of the Unite Party, oppose the proposal.
Schneider said block tuition was an “assault” on the Student Body that would penalize students who take 12 credit hours to manage jobs or extracurricular activities that may enhance job opportunities down the line.
The extra cost a student taking 12 credit hours would incur if block tuition existed would be $504 with the current tuition rates.
“There are virtually no students who are in favor of block tuition,” Meyers said. “The customers of the state university system are the students. And the customer is always right.”
Block tuition is not necessarily a popular measure with other state universities, either.
Only Florida State University is considering implementing block tuition, and it is only in the beginning stages of looking into it.
UF Student Body President Ashton Charles, who voted against block tuition in December, said it will take statistics to show the Board of Governors how damaging block tuition could be to students.
“It’s not just a megaphone,” she said. “It’s going to take significant work to get block tuition off the table.”
