ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, March 15, 1996 TAG: 9603150068
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: PHILIP WALZER LANDMARK NEWS SERVICE
MEMO: ***CORRECTION***
Published correction ran on Mar. 17.
Correction
The boards of visitors at Radford University and Virginia Tech have
voted to freeze tuition for the next year. A story Friday erred in
saying that Virginia community college students were the first to have
tuition frozen for 1996-97.
Community college students Thursday became the first in a long line of Virginia students who'll be getting a welcome bit of news this spring: No tuition increase next year.
But students at Tidewater Community College - and some four-year schools - may see small increases in other fees, officials predict.
The State Board for Community Colleges on Thursday approved holding tuition steady for Virginia's 23 two-year schools. The vote was in keeping with the legislature's mandate Sunday to freeze tuition at all public colleges for two years.
For 1996-97, the rate for Virginians at community colleges will stay at $46.65 per credit-hour, plus a $1-per-hour fee for technology. For a student taking a full load of 30 credits a year, that comes to $1,430 annually.
TCC, however, has additional fees, which might go up slightly.
It assesses $4.35 an hour - or $130.50 annually - for student activities and services such as parking and security. President Larry Whitworth said TCC's board may raise those fees, but by no more than $1 - or an extra $30 a year maximum.
At TCC's Virginia Beach campus, students were predictably relieved by the board's action. ``To me, it's a good deal,'' said Victor Allende, an engineering student. ``It's a fixed rate you can count on.''
Shari Aldridge had to leave TCC last year because her parents were short of money. She hopes the freeze will allow her to finish her studies when she returns in the summer. ``I just hope they keep it from going up until I graduate,'' she said.
The freeze approved by the General Assembly covers only tuition. It does not apply to other fees, such as those for health services or student activities.
Dan Hix, senior finance coordinator for the State Council of Higher Education, predicted small increases statewide in the fees, which generally make up a quarter to a half of the amount that colleges list as ``tuition and fees.''
``You would think there would be some pressure to keep them in line,'' he said. ``I would imagine the overall increase [in tuition and fees] would be pretty close to what inflation is - 3 percent.''
The freeze is mandated only for Virginian students, but the community college board also froze the rate for out-of-staters at $4,680 a year, not including the technology fee.
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