The Utah State Legislature and Gov. Mike Leavitt continue to make it harder to attend school in Utah. Amidst a year of budget slashing and tuition increases, their newest target is non-resident students.

Leavitt recently signed House Bill 331, requiring out-of-state students to complete 60 credit hours before gaining residency. The previous law made it possible to achieve residency in as little as 12 months?that doubles the time requirement.

Legislators claim that the bill will generate an extra $5 million for colleges and universities. But they fail to account for the probability that such stifling residency requirements will surely turn prospective out-of-state students away from Utah. Most other states still function under the 12 month policy, making them much more financially attractive.

While signing the bill, Leavitt attached a letter acknowledging that the bill has its problems. He suggested that the issue be re-addressed in a special legislative session in May. If Leavitt does not fully support this bill, why wasn’t it vetoed?

Administrators have already drawn the U’s 2002-03 budget and the figures account for that extra $5 million. Remember, that’s $5 million that is by no means a guarantee.

What about current non residents who are working on gaining residency? HB331 contains no grace period for those students. If someone moved to Utah within the last year, they will almost surely have to wait at least another year to pay reasonable tuition.

The bill will most likely cast a negative shadow on Utah and its higher education system. It sends a message that out-of state students are not as welcome. Such an impression will likely eliminate those extra funds the bill was expected to raise, further negating its existence.

So far, response to the HB331 has been nearly non existent. Utah has about 12,000 non-resident students, many of whom will be directly affected by the bill. But only a handful of them have spoken up against it. If you agree that HB331 is unfairly targeted toward non-resident students, contact your legislator, Leavitt, or U student body president Ben Lowe today.