Editor:
I find it incredibly difficult to believe that the U has $22 to $28 million in surplus funds (“Legislators question U’s $28 million surplus,” Oct. 16). This is in direct contradiction to what the Financial Aid Office told me right before the semester began. Not only that, but why on Earth would the U raise the cost of tuition this year if it were not in such dire need of funding?
I realize that the U budget probably does not have any direct connections to the financial aid department or scholarships, but why shouldn’t it? As a student who is on a fully “self-provided” scholarship, I would be very disheartened and sad to learn that the U is taking advantage of people like me that work very hard to provide food, tuition, books, rent, car payment, etc., just to have idle monies lying around.
While I completely agree with The Chronicle’s view (“Chronicle‘s view: U budget surplus necessary for growth,” Oct. 17) that the U needs to grow and that the Utah State Legislature should not penalize the U for being fiscally responsible, I believe that any surplus that year should be allocated back to the students in the form of scholarships or lower tuition costs. Just a thought.
I will be sending a letter to the Financial Aid Office and to President Young asking them why they told me that there was no money left for students who applied and were denied financial assistance. I’m guessing they will tell me the same thing they did at the beginning of the semester, “There is no more money and the story of a surplus is just a myth!”
Spencer ThomasJunior, History and Communication