By Ethan Nichols, Staff Writer

Xavier is becoming increasingly unaffordable, and the blame for that rests with our senior university administration and Board of Trustees members. With a 5.25% increase in tuition this year, this marks a 17.26% increase in tuition since 2021. 

I chose Xavier because of the financial aid and scholarships I was offered. As a Community Engaged Fellow with the Eigel Center for Community Engaged Learning, I receive a very generous scholarship with a commitment to 10 hours a week of community service. This program is why I was able to attend Xavier. Without this, I would not be here. 

Luckily, I will be graduating in December. As tuition increases, along with revoking the incredible incentive that is the free Day One textbook program by adding a hefty fee, Xavier has made a clear decision towards making this university as exclusive and unaffordable as possible. 

I love Xavier. I have made lifelong friends, made incredible connections and have had amazing opportunities. But if I were an incoming freshman looking at colleges, chances are I would not be able to choose Xavier due to the cost. 

Students are struggling. We are in the midst of a mental health crisis, especially as we have emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic. On top of all of that, Xavier has now decided to cut back on programs and resources that students rely on while increasing the cost to attend.

In an email to the campus community, Provost and Chief Academic Officer Rachel Chrastil wrote, “Please know that everyone at Xavier understands and appreciates the tremendous investment that you are making to receive a Xavier education. We are committed to offering a quality, Jesuit Catholic educational experience that delivers on our mission to prepare graduates for an increasingly diverse and complex world while being mindful of costs for our students.”

Chrastil was correct. This is a tremendous investment — one that many students are struggling to afford and that will likely deter many potential students from coming here. 

If the university truly was “committed to offering a quality, Jesuit Catholic educational experience,” then they would not be increasing tuition yet again. 

What Xavier needs to do is fix tuition. Many universities around the country have already moved to a fixed tuition model, where the tuition you pay your freshman year is the same amount you pay all four years. This is a truly equitable model that protects the interests of students. Unfortunately, it has become abundantly clear that the university is not interested in protecting the interests of students. 

Tuition raises harm to the most vulnerable students at Xavier and places an undue burden on low-income and middle-class students. 

A fixed tuition model is already in place at many universities, including the University of Cincinnati, Purdue University, DePaul University, Ohio Wesleyan University, William & Mary, University of Dayton, George Washington University, Ohio University and others.

In addition to the tuition increase and the additional fee for the Day One program, Xavier is also increasing the price of parking passes. With already limited parking options on campus and the problem of game day parking, why is the university making it even more expensive to have access to an already dismal parking experience? 

Continuing to increase tuition is absolutely unacceptable, and increasing other standard fees that a good majority of students pay only adds salt to the wound.Our university administration should consider the real-world impact that this will have on our most vulnerable students.