As the Vice President for Academic Affairs in the Student Government Association, it is my job to hear student concerns and issues about anything relating to their academic needs. One of the recent concerns I have been addressing is the increase in the price of the dialogue program. The increased prices will go into effect this year and will impact any future students who participate in these programs.
That being said it is important to understand where and why the increased fee is coming from. Many students read the article in the October 11th issue of the News (Costs of Northeastern Dialogue programs to raise, directors said) and were outraged with the increases. After reading that article, I too was outraged, even though I know the facts. As someone who is close to the issue at hand I wanted to shed some light on the reasons behind the fee change.
After meeting with Bruce Ronkin, Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education, light was shed on the truth behind the price change. In past years Northeastern students had the opportunity to participate in a dialogue program, a four to six week study abroad program, where they would take two classes and have the opportunity to experience a different culture. These students paid the same tuition to the University as a student who was staying in Boston for a summer session. But virtually all Dialogue students paid nothing additional for housing or airfare. On a small number of high cost Dialogues students were charged an additional fee, ranging anywhere from zero dollars to $2,125. But the large majority of the students were getting a full summer session of two classes, travel, and housing for the cost of tuition alone. This was over $2,000 less than a student in Boston paid for just tuition and housing.
However, this model was not sustainable. The well was running dry, so to speak and the University had to make a change. The way the dialogues were structured was not going to sustain them in the long haul. With students traveling to all ends of the globe the amount of money spent to get them there, house them, and pay faculty salaries as well as the tuition and fees of the host universities was not equal to the amount of money that students were paying. The only way to support the program without dipping into the tuition money that students staying in Boston were paying was to restructure the program.
This is where the 2,000 dollar dialogue fee comes in; the University found that the best way to sustain the program for future Huskies was to implement this housing and travel fee. The price of a dialogue is still a great deal for students; you receive eight credits as well as a trip to another country where your flights and accommodations are paid for. Even with the dialogue fee the price of a summer session in Boston, with housing, is still more expensive than a dialogue.
No one likes a fee increase, not the students and not the faculty. But unfortunately, inflation, rising fuel prices, and currency exchange mean that an increase is necessary in order to sustain the program. As always the association encourages any and all feedback; you can email, call or stop by our offices in 332 Curry Student Center.
-Kristina Lopez is the Vice President for Academics in the Student Government Association
