Emily Bruzzo, News Editor

UNC-Greensboro students should expect to see some changes to their bills over the next two years.

With a unanimous vote on Friday, UNCG’s board of trustees agreed to send forth a proposal requesting tuition and fee increases to the UNC board of governors for consideration in February.

UNCG is asking for tuition and fee increases for both years of the biennium, which is broken down into two periods: 2015-2016 and 2016-2017.

In total, the university is requesting a 4 percent increase from resident undergraduates for the first year of the biennium, and a 4.4 percent increase for the second year.

For non-resident undergraduates, UNCG wants a 1.2 percent increase for the first year of the biennium, and a 1.4 percent increase for the second year.

These percentages mean, in-state students will go from paying their current $6,454 to $6,715 for the 2015-2016 academic year. For the 2016-2017 academic year, in-state undergraduates will pay $7,011.

For out-of-state students, the percentages mean they will go from paying their current $21,316 to $21,577 next year. For the year after that, non-residents will pay $21,873.

UNCG officials argue the increases to tuition will generate $3.3 million in revenues the first year and $3.5 million the second year.

60 percent of these projected tuition revenues are supposed to go toward salary increases for faculty.

UNCG faculty members, who have been vocal about their collectively low morale, haven’t seen a substantial raise since 2009— the most recent raise only at 1.2 percent during the 2012-2013 academic year.

The N.C. General Assembly approved a $5 million salary package to go toward raises across the UNC system, but UNCG only received $276,643.

From the $276,643, the university gave 182 out of 842 faculty members raises. That equates to roughly 21 percent of UNCG’s faculty.

Among the faculty members who were awarded the salary increases, the raises amounted to an average of only 2 percent. Meaning, faculty members received only a $1,699 raise.

22 percent of the extra dollars earned from tuition increases have also been allocated toward efforts to retain undergraduates.

UNCG officials said they hope to put these funds toward improving undergraduate academic advising, possibly by hiring professional advisors.

The final 18 percent of revenues generated by the tuition increases are allocated to graduate assistantship stipends and tuition awards.

UNCG officials argue that, as a research institute, the university needs to work harder to attract and retain graduate students.

In a system that has suffered substantial cuts to state-appropriated funds, UNCG certainly isn’t the only university that will ask for tuition and fee increases.

UNCG officials argue that the university, even with its requested hikes in costs, will still be more affordable than many of its peers.

However, the proposal for tuition and fee increases has met some opposition.

Two members of UNCG’s tuition committee voted against increasing the tuition.

But far more noticeable, was when Linda Carlisle, a board of trustees member since 2013, denounced the proposal, UNC system and General Assembly for taking North Carolina’s higher education down a path she believes is dangerous.

“I’m going to vote for this because I think it’s the right thing for UNCG,” Carlisle said at Friday’s meeting. “But I think it’s the wrong thing for our system.”

“This is the first time that I have seen a tuition increase that was not directed at adding to the value of our student and strategic initiatives,” she said.

Carlisle acknowledges that two of the components of the tuition increase proposal are student-oriented, but she argues that those allocations aren’t enough.

“60 percent of this tuition increase is directed at fulfilling what the state, I believe, has a responsibility to do for its employees,” she said.

Carlisle continued by averring that the UNC system’s failure to provide a substantial pay increase to UNC faculty since 2009 “puts the university system, and UNCG in particular, at great risk.”

Other board of trustees members sympathized with Carlisle’s frustrations, but still defended the tuition and fee proposal.

“I don’t disagree with you,” Frances Bullock, a trustee since 2013, said to Carlisle, “But I think at this point, that’s a political statement as to what’s happening in Raleigh.”

Bullock went on to say about the General Assembly’s decision to cut funds to the UNC system, “We have to deal with that. And that’s what we’re doing.”

Carlisle didn’t agree with Bullock, however.

“I think we’re making a decision that puts us on the track to say that if the state’s not going to take care of employees…then we’re then putting that on the backs of our students through additional tuition,” Carlisle said.

She continued, saying, “Instead of this board, this chancellor, this university being able to direct those increased dollars to lifting this university up, to doing the kinds of strategic things that we absolutely should, we can’t do that because we’re having to use those dollars to replace those dollars that the state’s not giving.”

Bullock responded quietly, saying, “But there’s nothing we can do about that.”

“We can say it’s not right,” Carlisle declared.

Other trustees also had opinions that wanted to vocalize.

David Sprinkle, a trustee since 2010, said he understood Carlisle’s concerns, but that he was more frustrated with UNCG’s methods for locating funds outside of the state budget.

“We don’t spend enough time looking for alternative ways of financing our system,” Sprinkled argued, “because clearly this is going to continue as long as the republicans— and I am a republican— has control.”

Sprinkle says UNCG needs to find more creative and innovative ways to ensure the efficacy of the university’s educational system.

He argues the institution needs to focus on helping students graduate on time so debt is lower, and also needs to stay committed to providing students with quality education so they are going out into the world prepared.

Sprinkle said to Carlisle, “We agree on the problem, but we just look differently at the solution, which is all right.”

Lee McAllister, a trustee since 2011, also responded to Carlisle, arguing there are variables the university can control and other variables it cannot.

“We have to look after this university in the ways we can look after this university,” McAllister said. “And this is one of them.”