Surchage Necessary, Shut Up

By Nate Cook - Dec. 13, 2009

Students at the University of Iowa will be paying an extra $100 surcharge for the spring semester, that is supposed to be a small part of plugging the gap in the budget created when the governor chose to cut the budget mid-year.

This surcharge, a one-off deal, helps make sure the university can deal with having millions of dollars axed out from under them, keeping jobs and teachers. If we didn't accept this, and many many other sacrifices, we would surely see worse classes, fewer professors, and a lot more grumbles.

I must admit, I'm not personally affected. But if you look closely, what's $100? For most Iowa students coming from Chicago it's just a few nights downtown - and something their parents would pay for. Why not instead make it a $200 surcharge on out-of-state students?

And if you say "Oh this is such a burden on students", well imagine everyone else. Employees have had salaries cut and benefits reduced, people have been laid off, and budgets have been slashed too.

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