“Effective for the spring 2009 semester, all USG students will pay a temporary, one-semester fee: $100 at research universities and six other universities, $75 at most comprehensive universities, and $50 at two-year and state colleges. The fee will offset an additional $20 million in budget reductions at the institutions.”

Although the measure is expected to generate some $20 million in additional funds, it begs the question: Why must the students pay the price for someone else’s screwups? And will these 300,000 University System students ever see this money again?

With rising costs of attending college, the tightening credit market not allowing for loans, and several other related factors, it’s scary to think how far this may set back the nation’s higher education. Personally, I’ll likely cut back on my classes and do the bare minimum of classes so that I don’t have to start paying back my loans yet, but I’ll still be making academic progress.