Chairman McKeon and Committee members, first and foremost I would like to thank you for giving me the opportunity to address this committee.

    My name is Jessica Hanson, and I am a senior Political Science major at the Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida. I also serve as the Director of Legislative Affairs for the Florida State University Student Government Association. In this position, one of my primary roles is to serve as the liaison between the students of FSU and the legislature. It is in this capacity that I see on a daily basis the growing problem in our education system, the astronomical tuition increases that college students face every single year.

    As a high school senior choosing what University to attend, I was very fortunate to have a wide array of choices. When making my final decision, I chose to attend college in Florida specifically because of the Bright Futures Scholarship Program. This is a program in Florida where the state uses lottery dollars to help pay for college for students who achieve high marks in high school. Had it not been for this program, I may very well have been saturated with student loan debt like so many of the students I work with on a daily basis.

    During Florida’s most recent legislative session, the Florida Legislature called for an 8.5% across the board tuition increase for in state undergraduate students. The Legislature also allotted for an additional 6.5% of flexibility for local boards of trustees to set graduate tuition as well as non-resident tuition. Most of the Local Boards of Trustees invoked the additional 6.5% increase, thus continuing the trend of astronomical tuition increases. In its nationwide report on public 4-year postsecondary institutions with the largest tuition increases, research noted that the top ten nationwide increases were all set on the local level—albeit a state or local board.

    Further in a report released by the nonprofit College Board, released in 2002, it showed that tuition and fees at four year public institutions now average $4,081. This was a rise of approximately 9.6%. Tuition and fees at four year private colleges increased an average of 5.8% reaching an average cost of $18,273.

    This information directly correlates with the committee’s College Cost Crisis Report. Many people seem to desire to blame the economy for a rise in college cost, however if you were to look at college costs, they were increasing even in what would be considered "better economic times." Universities need to be more conservative in how their money is spent. No longer will students and parents accept the fact that Universities are paying some professors more than $200,000 per year, when the professor does not teach class at the University.

    I meet with students on a daily basis, many of which have to work two jobs in order to pay for their education. Many of these students work these jobs on top of any financial aid they receive, and when they go ask for help, the only answer they get from the Administration is, "well you can take another loan." If we continue this trend we will be sending our students into the workforce with unmanageable student loan debt.

    As a student, I have been fortunate to have the experience to work with several clubs and organizations on campus. Through these opportunities, I have gained some of my greatest and most rewarding educational experiences. I have learned countless lessons in leadership and management, and these are undoubtedly lessons I will take with me into the workforce. One of the great things about college is that education also takes place outside the classroom. However, so many students I encounter don’t have the opportunity to experience this important part of education. These students want to be involved, however the rising cost of overall college cost has caused them to have to work two and three jobs, and consequently not affording them the time necessary to commit to these extracurricular activities. As the cost of college steadily increases, we are denying more and more students the educational opportunities outside of the classroom.