The Seattle University Board of Trustees recently approved the school’s budget for the 2014 fiscal year, a budget that saw increases in both tuition and financial aid. In an email sent to the student body, President Fr. Stephen Sundborg, S.J., stated that tuition would increase by just under five percent for undergraduate students. This tuition increase has been met with some resistance, but we at The Spectator believe this is an appropriate move.

While the tuition increase may be unpleasant, the services it will provide more than make up for it. Consider the change in the school’s financial aid budget. While tuition is increasing by less than five percent, financial aid will be increasing by over 10 percent. This is a huge increase in the amount allocated to financial aid. For some students, particularly incoming students, the amount of extra financial aid will actually exceed the tuition hike.

Additionally, the increase will pay for better technology support, an area in which the school has been severely lacking. Seattle U has been plagued by poor wireless networks and an unavailable and incompetent IT support team. Addressing these issues is essential, and it’s stupid to think the problems will solve themselves. Fixing the schools problems takes money. The only way to get the money is to raise tuition.

People shouldn’t go to a school like Seattle U because they want low tuition. People should go to Seattle U because it’s a good school.