The first ETSU Board of Trustees meeting of 2020 took place on Feb. 21. The Board discussed a variety of topics and voted on several school policies as well as a report given by ETSU President Brian Noland.
Among the topics voted on were tuition and housing costs. The Board voted on a 2% increase on tuition for the Quillen College of Medicine and a 1.5% increase for the Gatton College of Pharmacy. They also voted in favor of a small increase in the cost of residence hall and on-campus apartment housing. Residence halls will have an increase of $35-100 per term, and campus apartments will have a $60-75 increase per term for the fiscal year of 2020-2021. Fortunately, there will not be an increase in the price of the Silver meal plan most students living on campus are required to have.
I think many students anticipated an increase in costs with all the recent construction projects ETSU is undertaking like the Culp Center, the Martin Center, etc. However, it is still not a welcome change for students. For medical and pharmacy students, it is over $200 more per semester. Though that may only seem like a drop in the bucket for how high tuition is already, every dollar counts, and students need to be charged as little as possible. On campus housing is already very expensive, especially when taking into account the cost of the meal plan. Though the increases are small, they still add up, and the extra costs could be a big difference for students who are tight on money.
On a more positive note, ETSU is expanding opportunities for the esports team. The team will have a designated space in the Culp Center, which will have new computer equipment and a large video wall. Starting in fall 2020, an online graduate certificate in esports management will be offered through the ETSU Clemmer College Sport and Recreation Management. It is nice to see that ETSU is supporting more non-traditional activities for students and giving them a space to expand their skills and interests.
