daca RUSA’s legislation will protect undocumented students, make them feel more welcome see opinions, page 6
CARS Tips for maintaining vehicles during the colder months of the year
MEN’S BASKETBALL Rutgers heads into midweek matchup against Cleveland State
SEE Sports, back
see TECH, page 8
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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2017
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U. tuition hikes among lowest in country over last decade Kira Herzog News Editor
Last weekend, The Chronicle of Higher Education placed Rutgers University on a list of the flagship universities that were most successful in keeping their tuition rates steady over the last decade. But with its in-state tuition rising from $12,558 to $14,638 since 2007, the University’s position on the low end of the spectrum may correlate more to its high starting point than its low ending point. Rutgers was already the fourth most expensive flagship school when the Chronicle first started collecting data. Still, from year to year, the Rutgers Board of Governors has passed tuition hikes that are well below the national average. At 1.85 percent, this year’s jump was the lowest in 3 years, according to a University spokesperson. “The university is mindful of cost and value for all students and has worked diligently to limit tuition and fee increases, while improving the student experience and providing new opportunities to learn, grow and succeed,” said Rutgers— New Brunswick Chancellor Debasish Dutta. “A Rutgers education remains a strong investment for our students, who graduate prepared to lead successful lives and careers
that benefit the public good in New Jersey and beyond.” Annual in-state tuition and fees for attending public national universities have inflated by 237 percent over the last 20 years. According to the University’s numbers, appropriations from the State of New Jersey currently constitute just 24 percent of the school’s $4.4 billion operating budget. This is something that newly elected governor Phil Murphy pledged to fix during his campaign. As these appropriations continue to drop off, the school is faced with increasingly difficult economic choices, the most prominent being whether to pull the deficit directly from tuition and student fees. Last month, University President Robert L. Barchi said administrators have consistently elected to operate on a narrower budget instead of placing more financial pressure on students. “You can never be exact, but we plan our budget so the operating margin is low. Much lower than a company of our size would ever have. And we do that intentionally so we can keep the tuition low,” Barchi said. “We could have a bigger operating margin very easily just by raising tuition by 3 percent instead of 1.7 percent, but our stated policy has been the opposite.”
The University’s place on the list of schools with the most consistent tuition over the last decade may be due to its already high tuition rates. At the time of the study, the University was ranked fourth among flagship schools with highest tuition rates. DIMITRI RODRIGUEZ / PHOTO EDITOR
5 women’s athletic teams at Rutgers earn 100 percent graduation rates Chloe Dopico Associate News Editor
The academic prestige of Rutgers Athletics is on the rise after five teams earned 100 percent graduation rates. All of these teams are comprised of women. DIMITRI RODRIGUEZ / PHOTO EDITOR
Five separate female Rutgers sports programs achieved a 100 percent graduation rate last year, according to the Athletics Department site. The site also says 16 out of the 20 teams received scores of greater than 80 percent in the Graduation Success Rate (GSR). Rutgers maintained greater than a score of 84 for the ninth consecutive year in a row. According to the NCAA website, Division I student-athletes continue to improve academically. More student-athletes are graduating, and the NCAA claims it is due to enhanced eligibility standards and the success of the Division I Academic Performance Program. “Division I is committed to an intercollegiate athletics model which recognizes and supports the importance of the academic mission of its member schools,” according to the website. The NCAA publicly announces the GSR of all Division I institutions, according to the Rutgers website.
This year’s numbers showed the average for students who entered college from 2007-2010. The organization collects data from a compilation of numbers from the U.S. Department of Education. Division I GSR was created for university presidents who desired graduation data that more accurately reflected all college students today. Rutgers teams that achieved a perfect score of 100 include women’s basketball, gymnastics, swimming and diving, women’s lacrosse and field hockey, according to the Athletics site. Football received a score of 82, making it the sixth highest in the Big Ten and 24 points above the federal rate for football teams, according to the site. “Division I student-athletes in nearly all sports and demographics improved their graduation rates, most notably a 3 percentage point increase for African-Americans in all sports, which contributed to a record-high 87 percent Graduation Success Rate,” according to the NCAA.
VOLUME 149, ISSUE 108 • University ... 3 • opinions ... 6 • TECH ... 8 • Diversions ... 9 • SPORTS ... BACK
Seventy-seven percent of Black athletes earned their degrees, which is a 21 percent increase from 2002. Men’s lacrosse earned a score of 87, achieving a score of 7 points above the federal rate for its sport, while men’s basketball’s score of 80 ranked 60 points ahead of the national average. Women’s basketball earned a score of 100 for the first time since the data began to be tracked — it was also an improvement from the score of 90 1 year ago, making the new score 45 points above the federal rate. Women’s lacrosse has had a perfect score of 100 for 3 years in a row, whereas women’s field hockey has had a perfect score for 2 consecutive years. Swimming and diving also received its first-ever score of 100. “Our responsibility is to provide every student-athlete who chooses Rutgers with the support they need to achieve their most important goal — earning a college degree. That will always be our number one priority,” said Director of Athletics Pat Hobbs to the Athletics Department.