Some WCU alumni speaking out against tuition plan

CULLOWHEE - As North Carolina lawmakers moved closer to approving a proposal that would lower tuition at Western Carolina University and two other public universities, some WCU alumni are speaking out against the plan.

“Western Carolina is not broke. Why try to fix it?” said Tobe Childers, a businessman and 1960 graduate of WCU. “Western has been growing. We’ve asked a number of times the author of this bill why. Nobody has told us why Western Carolina.”

The proposal, which came from Sen. Tom Apodaca, R-Henderson, has been included in the budget compromise reached between the state House and Senate. State lawmakers are expected to vote on the plan Tuesday.

Apodaca’s original proposal included three historically black colleges, along with WCU and UNC Pembroke. The historically black colleges were later dropped amid criticism that the proposal was an attempt to put those schools out of business.

The most recent version of the proposal includes a provision to lower tuition at three UNC schools - Western Carolina University, UNC Pembroke and Elizabeth City State University, one of the historically black universities included in the first proposal.

The plan would lower tuition to $500 per semester for in-state students and $2,500 for out-of-state students.

The state would pick up the cost of cutting the tuition, a cost estimated at about $26 million for Western Carolina.

But some worry about the long-term willingness of the state to continue to cover that cost.

Childers said another concern is how WCU will accommodate additional students likely to apply when tuition is lowered.

“Where are they going to get the money to build new dorms?” Childers asked.

Tony White, a 1969 graduate of Western Carolina, emailed Apodaca about his concerns earlier this month.

“I agree with you that the financial burdens of college and the heavy student loans are a problem for many students. David (WCU Chancellor David Belcher) has shared with me the student loan totals and the need for more scholarships to offset that,” White wrote. “However, that is not unique to WCU as you know. If the NC legislature is willing to do something about that, it should be systemic not isolated to one or two schools.”

White wrote that WCU is already getting more applicants than it can accept. And that diversity of those applicants, including socioeconomic status, is important.

“My concerns are for the long-term effects on the school. I feel WCU will be better served over time if it is on a level playing field with the rest of the UNC System,” he wrote. “Let them compete for resources with their accomplishments. To be singled out in this matter will put Western in a different category.”

In his response, Apodaca said he has been in touch with the chancellor throughout the process.

“I find your email troubling. This bill was an effort to help, no more no less,” he wrote.

In response to a request for comment from Apodaca, Laura Kilian, research assistant to Apodaca, sent a statement from Ed Broadwell, chairman of WCU’s board of trustees.

That statement reads, in part, “My fellow trustees and I understand that total cost of attendance at WCU and other colleges and universities remains out of reach for many students of modest means. Although SB 873 (the original senate bill) is not the final answer to college affordability, we believe it to be a good start.”

The statement also says, “This board also recognizes that some alumni have expressed concern about potential unintended consequences of this legislation, including the possibility that lowering tuition would damage the reputation of the university. I can assure you that this board would not support any proposal that would harm this institution.”