The Board of Trustees of the University of Massachusetts has recently passed a $1,500 fee increase for students. In response, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick has unveiled his own initiative to transfer some of the federal stimulus money to scale back or rebate part of the fee increase.
The increase has been proposed as a way to mitigate cuts in the state budget due to the recent economic downturn. It will allow for the University to continue operating academic departments without drastic cuts, although some cuts would also have to be considered.

The $1,500 fee increase itself was designed so that the actual increase was about $1,000, with $500 going to supplement financial aid packages for students with families in lower income brackets. Since students of high-income brackets ought to have sufficient means to shoulder the additional charges, the biggest burden for the fee increase would be left on students with average incomes.

With the economy in a downturn and federal grant money not forthcoming, students are increasingly reliant on loans to pay for their education, which translates into a further increase in debt throughout the nation. The ability of banks to make loans has been a serious issue in recent times, and the high proportion of debt among the American people has been a serious concern of both economists and lawmakers of both parties.

With this in mind, senior biochemistry major Eric Weitz told The Minuteman that, “Without money from the federal stimulus, middle class students likely would have had to rely on more private loans, which are scarcer and charge higher interest [rates] than less year.”

While a purely laissez-faire, free market system might suggest that students should shoulder the full cost of their education, it is has been long established that the goal of our state university system is to provide educational opportunities for students, regard of their ability to pay.

On March 23, 2009, UMass Amherst Chancellor Robert C. Holub testified before the state legislature’s Joint Committee on Higher Education and urged lawmakers to consider the situation at our campus.

Holub has been sending periodic status updates to the university community via email to the satisfaction of interested students. “I appreciate Chancellor Holub’s advocacy for UMass at the state legislature, as well as his efforts to keep students informed of UMass’s financial situation,” Weitz commented.

Holub is awaiting the final results of Patrick’s proposed state stimulus rebate before ratifying the fee increase to see if and by how much it can be mitigated. Current estimates suggest that the final fee increase could be reduced to less than $500.

Eric can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it