Concerns Over Tuition Increases as A&M Board Prepares to Meet

As the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents gathers for a meeting in Galveston on Thursday, some students in College Station are concerned that the regents will increase tuition at Texas A&M University while they are miles away.

The board's agenda calls for a consideration of — and public testimony on — proposed tuition and fee increases at the flagship university, which includes the Texas A&M University at Galveston and the Texas A&M Health Science Center.

Texas Aggie Conservatives, a student group in College Station, issued a statement on Tuesday calling on the board to postpone its vote until a May meeting, noting that Galveston is "a very inconvenient place for College Station students."

In its statement, the group argued that the rationale for the increases had not been effectively communicated to the student body, which subsequently had not had enough opportunities to weigh in. "There is no permanent university president in place, and there is no urgent need to address tuition rates," the group said.

By way of response, a spokesman for the system provided a statement from Reid Joseph, the Texas A&M student body president, who said: "I believe that the guaranteed tuition and fee program being considered by the Board of Regents will effectively allow students and parents to budget for college and provide stability in our unstable economy. In my opinion, it is also in the best interest of Texas A&M as it will allow key leaders to make future decisions based on a fixed amount of revenue."

The A&M board will also consider other items, including a ground lease for future construction of a building that would expand the health science center's presence in the Texas Medical Center in Houston.