Ferrari said most private institutions have a flat-rate tuition with their students averaging 15 hours a semester. He said this average promotes a four-year graduation. Elizabeth Rickman, freshman history major, said that even though the flat rate is based on 15 hours, she likes the credit hour charge that current students will continue paying. Ray Brown, dean of admissions, said society has become desensitized to the idea of graduating in five or six years. Students are wasting time.
Time is so precious.
Brown said students need to finish so they can make a contribution to society. Victoria Tschoepe, a sophomore social work major, disagrees with Brown and said she thinks it is acceptable for students to stay in school for more than four years. Ferrari said that contrary to what most students believe, there is not any financial benefit for the university with the new flat rate. If a student takes five years to get a degree, that is actually financially good for the university because we keep collecting all these fees. Ferrari said he understands why the overwhelming majority of private schools have a flat fee.