OU regents vote for 115 percent fee increase

TULSA, Okla. (AP) _ University of Oklahoma students will be paying more to attend school if state funding continues its downward spiral. <br><br>The OU Board of Regents voted unanimously Tuesday to raise

Wednesday, October 30th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

TULSA, Okla. (AP) _ University of Oklahoma students will be paying more to attend school if state funding continues its downward spiral.

The OU Board of Regents voted unanimously Tuesday to raise student fees by more than 115 percent, one of the largest such increases in school history.

Under the proposal, freshmen fees would go up $23.68 per credit hour, from $20.62 to about $44.30 per credit hour. That amounts to $16.18 per credit hour for all other students.

The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education must still approve the hikes in technology, library and user fees. The increases would not take effect until 2003, OU President David Boren said.

``We are $1,000 below the average tuition and fees assessed by Big 12 schools,'' Boren told OU regents.

According to Boren, OU also charges about $3,500 less than the average out-of-state tuition and fees assessed by other Big 12 universities.

``This gap is enormous,'' he said.

Alex Jaffe, president of the University of Oklahoma Student Association voiced support for the increase. But OU student Fannie Bates, who is working on a master's degree, said the increase is unaffordable.

Bates noted that the average family income in Oklahoma is $28,000.

``I believe there are a lot of working families in Oklahoma and a lot of poor families that this will hurt,'' she said.

Bates said she supported raising nonresident tuition, but called for open hearings to discuss the effect on resident students.

If OU raised tuition by the 7 percent allowed by law, the school would get $4.6 million in new money, Boren said. Because of budget shortfalls, the Norman campus will not receive $13 million that already has been budgeted.

Revenues designated for the OU Health Sciences Center will be short by at least $8.5 million.

Regents passed an amendment by Regent Christy Everest that would limit fees to be assessed on only the first 20 hours of credit. Several dental and medical students take that many or more credits per semester.

The regents also announced one of the largest gifts ever from a Tulsa family.

Vintage Petroleum Chairman Charles Stephenson and his wife, Peggy Stephenson, have donated $6 million to help construct a multidisciplinary research building at the Norman campus.

The regents also approved a $10.15 million construction contract with Flintco Inc. for the construction of the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art addition in Norman.