We hear it every year. Tuition always goes up, and no one is ever happy about it. No one really wants to see the cost of our education go up, but it’s a fact of life. We’re all feeling the crunch with the current state of the economy. Expenses go up each year and the college has to react to those increases. Thankfully, the increase is one of the smallest in 20 years. And really, when you do the math, the increase in the comprehensive fee isn’t that much. A 3.9 per-cent increase is only about $1,200.

Putting the money aside for a second, (we know it’s hard to do), there are some pluses to the current situation. One of those is the current transparency of the administration and their willingness to inform students about how our tuition dollars are spent every year. They understand, at least in part, the worry students and their families feel when it comes to finances and care enough to give us open information. President Byrd should also be commended for hosting a forum event about the issue. At least students can be assured that Simpson is doing everything they can to maintain the current quality of our education at the smallest possible cost to the students. Many private colleges across the country are working hard to do the same thing.

But let’s face it. We all made a conscious decision to apply to a private college. That decision came with the knowledge that our tuition bills will be higher than those of students who go to state institutions or community colleges. So we should expect tuition increases, no matter how much we all hate them.