Hannah Bever, sophomore, undeclared
Bever said she gave a speech in class about the Blugold Commitment. She is President of Bridgeman Hall Council and found out about the proposal that way. She looked into tuition since 2000 and found it had been raised a lot in that time.
“I feel that increasing it more is a little intense,” she said.
One reason she cited for UW-Eau Claire’s low four-year graduation rates is the university has a lot of education majors, who usually take more than four years to graduate. She said she understands why the university wants the Blugold Commitment, but she doesn’t feel that a lot of students know about it yet.
Gunnar Halseth, freshman, English
Halseth said he thinks the reason students aren’t graduating on time has less to do with having enough professors and more with strict degree requirements. He said the effort is positive, but he would like to see more of a guarantee of its success.
“I want to know more about what (the university) sees are the reasons behind the 26 percent four-year graduation rate,” he said. “That’s so low.”
Conner Going, freshman, undeclared
Going said he doesn’t think the people who will initially have to pay for the Blugold Commitment will benefit. He said he would like more information to come in the form of classroom presentations explaining exactly what would happen, what students will have to pay and what the outcomes will be, as long as the same information was disseminated to students.
He also mentioned he would like students to be able to “say what they feel about it in a way that would be effective, instead of just angry or upset.”
Brandon Lewis, senior, finance-economics double major
Lewis said he thinks class availability and faculty are more important than class size, adding some programs on campus are limited by what they can offer because the faculty resources are not available to offer a class every semester. However, he said, smaller class sizes are always beneficial. He said UW-Eau Claire is inexpensive in relation to other schools.
“Any increase in tuition is worth it if it means a higher quality of education,” he said. “Anything to help the university increase its quality of education is good.”
Melissa Hettmann, sophomore, public relations
Hettmann, a member of the Residence Hall Association as part of Sutherland Hall, said she thinks the Blugold Commitment is a good idea, but she doesn’t see why she has to pay for it if it won’t directly affect her. She said she prefers the option for incoming freshman to pay the extra tuition.
“I think that would be more effective because it actually affects them,” she said.
Hettmann said she knows about the Blugold Commitment because of her involvement in RHA, but few people she talks to about it are familiar.
She said some students have heard of the proposal, but they don’t know about the tuition increase that comes with it.
“Instead of saying Blugold Commitment, they should say, ‘we’re raising tuition,'” she said.
Molly Gerber, sophomore, history
Gerber said she understands the value of the Blugold Commitment, but she echoed the sentiment that because she doesn’t feel like she will benefit from it, she doesn’t want to pay more for tuition. Gerber said she heard of the Blugold Commitment from her roommate, Melissa Hettmann (above). She said she wouldn’t have known about it otherwise.
Gerber said her parents are even familiar with the Blugold Commitment.
“I think they just need to send more stuff out to students – exactly what this is and who it’s going to affect,” she said.
Molly Dukich, freshman, sociology
Because Dukich came to UW-Eau Claire with 19 credits, she said she is planning on graduating in three-and-a-half years. But she knows people who have come in with credits and will take at least five years to graduate because they’re studying art or education, she said. If students really want to get done in four years, she said, it’s possible. She said she would like to know specifically where the extra dollars will go.
“To what building and for what reason and for what classes . and if it will truly benefit the whole student body,” she said.
Gail Druschke, junior, creative writing
Druschke said she will be graduating spring 2011 and therefore doesn’t feel she will get a lot out of the Blugold Commitment. But her sister is going to be a freshman at UW-Eau Claire in the fall, and, for people like her, Druschke thinks it’s a good idea. She said she agrees with the university’s efforts to increase four-year graduation.
“I’m the only one of my friends I know that’s looking to be done in four years,” she said.
Druschke said if students will get out of the Blugold Commitment what they pay into it, then it’s not bad, but nobody wants to pay more tuition.
“Generally, it’s something I would say I support.”
Tim O’Halloran, freshman, political science
O’Halloran said he wouldn’t be happy about a tuition hike, but the university has to do what it has to do. He said that if in the end, the Blugold Commitment achieves the goals it sets out to accomplish, it would be all right.