Editorial: Seattle U makes tight 2010 budget work

It's easy to focus on the negative parts of next year's budget: even a 5 percent tuition increase can seem like a lot in a recession, and not everyone agrees with Athletics receiving an extra $500,000 when faculty are only going to see a 2 percent increase in their salaries.

Upon closer inspection, however, there is a whole lot that the Seattle U community should be very happy about. This is the second year in a row tuition increases have stayed around 5 percent, which is outstanding considering the increases at some of the state schools around us. Tuition at the University of Washington is increasing 14 percent for the second year in a row, and at University of California – Berkeley the upcoming year's tuition is skyrocketing by 32 percent. It costs almost three times as much to get a degree at Berkeley now than it did 10 years ago.

Even though the tuition increase is fairly small, the university is still providing much more financial aid to help students cover the extra cost and give assistance during a questionable economic time for many. Five million dollars is no small chunk of change, and that doesn't even include the quarter million in "emergency funds" aimed at students who lost their work study benefits because of Gov. Chris Gregoire's cuts.

Athletics is always a point of contention among the administration and students, but it seems like the current plan for growing the athletics program is modest and well thought out. Focusing money on Athletics expands the university's influence and reputation, and can end up bringing in almost as much money as is put into it. Although a little more transparency might be needed in this area—the administration wouldn't tell ASSU exactly how much money was being spent on athletics and only revealed that information to a Spectator reporter later—that could be due to the fact that most students don't see the larger goal they are working toward.

Overall, the university has found ways to make the entire community happy despite the economy. Faculty and staff are seeing raises again, tuition is under control and overall the right amount of money is going to the right places. Students should be pleased their moderately increased tuition dollars are being spent well.

Reach the editorial board at opinion@su-spectator.com.