By Steve Babcock

Several senators from the Student Government Association took the opportunity at an open forum Thursday held by Northeastern’s administration to voice their concerns regarding the proposed 2003-04 budget. The forum was open to all Northeastern students and student groups.

Top issues on the SGA agenda, such as the 5.5 percent tuition increase, financial aid, student parking fee, and student counseling were discussed before Northeastern University President Richard Freeland, Provost Ahmed Abdelal and Senior Vice President of Administration and Finance Larry Mucciolo.

Many SGA senators questioned whether or not the tuition raise outlined in the proposed budget is warranted.

Sam Klar, an SGA senator who is currently heading a student referendum to raise the Student Activities Fee, asked Provost Abdelal point-blank why tuition was being raised so much.

“Our patterns aren’t different from other universities,” Abdelal said. “The average tuition increase in universities around the country is about 5.5 percent. In terms of value to students, keeping faculty and facilities up and running will prove to be entirely beneficial. Also, we have increased financial aid, which will take the burden off the students to pay the increase.”

President Freeland also said that tuition increases “will occur again” as the university keeps building facilities and a stronger student body.

“To me, it’s common sense,” he said. “If you’re going to raise financial aid the same amount as you’re going to raise tuition, then why raise tuition?”

SGA President Richard Schwabacher also questioned the university’s ability to attract better students with such a high price attached to a Northeastern education.

“It seems to me that if the administration wanted to attract the better students who would come here for financial reasons, they would lower tuition so it would be lower than competition, rather than keep it at the median,” he said.,

Sharif Zeid, an SGA senator from the College of Business, also questioned Freeland about the $9,000 gap that exists, and would increase, between average aid granted and average need.

To fix the gap, Freeland said the university needed to “reach out to students whose ability to pay is higher.” He then went on to clarify his previous statement. “It isn’t as though the ability to pay would be admissions criteria.”

Zeid, Klar, and SGA Vice President for Financial Affairs Michael Benson also questioned the administration on the future spending habits of NU, raising the issue of an internal audit process, as well as discussing incremental spending.

In response, Freeland asked, “Have we been invaded by the Business Office?” arousing laughter from the crowd of faculty and other SGA members. He then assured the SGA members that the university was on the right track toward meeting financial goals.

Turning to student affairs on campus, SGA Vice President for Administration Emerald Gravel posed the question of student parking fees.

Vice President Mucciolo responded that the rate is “equal” to what faculty and staff pays for parking. He also added that the city has said to limit the amount of parking allowed on campus, and that there would be a non-annual permit that students could purchase.

“I don’t think we should get in the situation of having too many students driving,” Mucciolo said.

Also visited by SGA, Vice President for Student Affairs Michael Romano was the issue of creating an on-campus sexual assault counselor. SGA passed legislation in February that requested further review of the creation of a sexual assault counselor position, but had heard nothing from the administration as of Thursday.

Provost Abdelal said that the student counseling program was undergoing “restructuring.” Northeastern’s Senior Vice President of Enrollment and Student Life Philomena Mantella added that the counselor would not make it into this year’s budget, as there are still studies on mental health services currently underway.

At the conclusion of the forum, Benson, Zeid and Klar all indicated that they were displeased with the way President Freeland had handled some of the questioning by passing it off as points of laughter.

“It’s his way of redirecting the conversation,” Klar said.

The university budget for fiscal year 2003, which has not yet been approved, is ultimately voted on and implemented by the administration, but is still presented to all students in open forums for review. The budget proposal will be voted on by administartion on Friday, March 7.