An Act Restricting College Tuition Hikes

Whereas turnout rate for SGA elections are 10%, and any addition of choices for the student would increase the tuition rate.

Whereas college tuition was $2,000 7 years ago, and has increased over 400% in less than a decade.

Whereas college tuition in Kentucky is now $9,000 annually, $36,000 every four years, continually rising 6% yearly, with no hope of anybody stopping it.

Whereas $10 million dollars shouldn't be given to the University's Bureaucracy at the blink of an eye, for reasons of whim.

Whereas $10 million dollars makes up a meager 1.25% drop of the $800 million budget for the University's Bureaucracy.

Whereas $10 million dollars would be better spent by the SGA, who has a $600,000 budget, or the Black Student Union, which has a $20,000 budget, or any other Student Union, who would have the student's best interest in mind moreso than the University's Bureacracy, since they literally are students.

Whereas virtually every member of the Student Populace thinks tuition is too expensive, and SGA is supposed to be the main advocate for the Student Populace, since we're automatically conscripted into their program.

Whereas voting in favor a tuition hike is acting against the best interest of the student populace, which flies in direct contradiction of Section 4.11.1 of U of L's 1977 Constitution, which states that the “President, Executive Vice President, Academic Vice President, or Services Vice President, may be removed from office” … “for acting against the best interests of the student populace” (emphasis added).

Whereas any member of the Student Populace at U of L is allowed to petition the Development Board for the initiation of impeachment proceedings.

Whereas U of L's annual “The Rally for Higher Education” isn't just empty posturing.

Whereas, in realpolitik terms, there is never any reason for a student representative to ever vote for unnecessary tuition hikes since the 19 votes of the Trustees are going to vote for it, as the last 2 decades has shown. So your one vote doesn't matter anyways, and the Board of Trustees would completely understand. The SGA President has everything to lose by voting for a Tuition Hike, and nothing to gain, and inversely, an SGA President has everything to gain by standing up to the University's Bureaucracy, and nothing to lose. It logically makes zero sense an SGA President to ever vote for a tuition hike. Ever.

Whereas the Administration sets the example of behavior, and genuine student representatives should respond to a hike in tuition the same way the Administration responded emotionally to our rejection of their secret deal to auction off the Student Activities Center for pennies on the dollar for what it's worth.

Whereas President Ramsey is getting a pay raise and a bonus, along with selected staff, during the time of massive Frankfort budget cuts, that Governor Steve Beshear warned “is going to hurt”.

Whereas CPE, Frankfort, and the Board of Trustees all blame each other, which spreads the blame around, and nobody is held accountable for the annual tuition robbery.

Whereas U of L's Board of Trustee's Tuition Hikes are strategically chosen in June, during the Summer, after the Seniors' graduate, and a new President has been elected, in order to slip the Tuition Hike in as an annual event.

Therefore, Be It Resolved, that the SGA President, and any additional student representatives added to the Board of Trustees, is hereby restricted from voting in favor of any proposed tuition hikes proposed by the University's Board of Trustees.