One-percent tuition hike should be approved

Marty Obst
Indianapolis, Ind.

To the Editorial Board of the Daily Egyptian:

I applaud your comments supporting a tuition increase to increase funding for Morris Library.

I had the honor of serving on the Library Affairs committee for the Southern at 150 initiative in which I discovered more funding and resources are sorely needed. SIUC currently lags well behind our peer institutions with respect to the funding for our library, which has played a large part in our decline in ARL (Academic Research Library) ranking over the last few decades. Library Affairs Dean Carlson and administration and faculty at SIUC have recognized this trend and have put forth solid initiatives to reverse it.

A key to improving library accessibility and effectiveness is to follow a two-headed approach that emphasizes an increase in volumes in the library as well as an advancement of online resources, allowing students and faculty to access materials from Morris Library or at home. As a recent student at SIUC, I understand the burdens of the tuition increases of the last couple of years.

However, the proposed 1-percent hike should be viewed by students, faculty and administrators alike as a wise investment that will increase the value of an SIU student's education. I sincerely hope the Undergraduate Student Government and Graduate Professional Student Council will realize that as well and fully embrace the implementation of the increase.

Marty Obst

Indianapolis, Ind.

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