Tash Mahnokaren
Staff Writer
Primary topics of conversation during recent Associated Students of Idaho State University (ASISU) meetings has surrounded where to implement new ideas for boosting school spirit around campus as well as tuition costs and college retention and admission rates following State Board of Education meetings.
The primary proposal is for an interlocking “I-S” logo that would replace the “I” that previously stood on Red Hill. The previous “I” was removed due to safety concerns.
This proposal was brought forward by the newly formed 1901 Club.
The interlocking “I-S,” one of the logos used by ISU athletics, is now one of the many symbols representing the university and is used for other purposes as well.
According to ASISU President Kyle Son, who is a member of the Red Hill committee, testing for viable mounting methods and other procedures are currently under way to determine a feasible area for the new symbol.
“What we have come to is an agreement that the students, alumni, administration and maybe the city will foot the bill together for the study,” said Son. “From there we need to finish up the debate of what symbol will go up.”
The proposed symbol is still early in its stages of erection and funding has not been allocated toward the project.
Son also attended a recent State Board of Education meeting in Lewiston, Idaho where university retention and admission rates, among other things, were discussed.
“Retention is on the rise but enrollment has been stagnant over the past couple years and there is no real sign of it going up,” said Son about ISU’s numbers.
Son also expressed that there is no real sign of enrollment rates decreasing either, but with tuition rates expected to increase, he believes admission rates will most likely be affected.
Studies conducted at a state level show that, in Idaho, students who took dual-credit courses in high school are more likely to continue their university education.
Students who complete remedial courses in high school come to college already having a head start. This helps them better assimilate into the college setting and complete the requirements in a timely manner to graduate.
With stagnant admission rates, Son addressed a vital concern fueling this issue. The cost of tuition and the cost of living are his “number one argument” to increase enrollment.
“The cost of living is almost always guaranteed to go up with inflation,” said Son. “The cost of going to school, though, doesn’t have to keep going up, and especially at the rate that it has gone up in the state.”
Attending college can have many benefits but with increasing tuition rates, other financial obligations tend to hamper students’ ability to continue their education.
“ISU has brought their percentage of tuition increases down over the years but the thing that we tend to forget when we hear that is, that means that tuition is still going up,” said Son.
He hopes that ISU will continue to bring down tuition costs in efforts to increase both admission and retention rates.
“We need to make sure that we are investing the money that we get as a university back into different programs or features that enhance student life,” said Son.
