Checking Ghosts at FAS

University officials made it very clear this week that their plans to deal with growing inflation will bite deep into student pocketbooks: For graduate students, it was the Faculty Council's approval Wednesday of an all-new, crack-down tuition policy for those who don't pay tuition, and for undergraduates it was Dean Rosovsky's startling prediction of a $600 hike next year in student fees.

The GSAS's new tuition plan, which goes into effect next year, will attempt to eliminate what Peter S. McKinney, administrative dean of the GSAS, has called "the ghost problem," by requiring graduate students to register or to terminate their enrollment at the school.

The growing number of "ghosts" do not register at the GSAS--and thus pay no tuition--has aggravated the school's money problems, which have also been growing in recent years.

McKinney conceded that a major reason for the GSAS adopting the new plan was in fact to "maintain a reasonable income level for the Faculty of Arts and Sciences," which faces up to a $3.5-million deficit next year.

But even though the new policy will hurt some graduate students by making them pay more, it will substantially reduce tuition for others, by requiring them to pay only a set fee for the use of Harvard facilities.

Under the new system, graduate students will pay full tuition for their first two years, a reduced tuition of $1000 per year for years three and four, then a set facility fee--for Harvard libraries and heath care--of between $350 and $400 per year.

GSAS administrators said this week the plan will work because they are going to crack down on students who don't pay tuition. "We will be much tougher now than we were in the past," McKinney said, alluding to the University's financial trouble.

Although University officials have not yet announced just how much the cost of a now-$3400 graduate education will increase, all indications are that it will be great. Dean Rosovsky this week told Leverett House students that the current economic situation will hit graduate students even harder than undergrads.

If Rosovsky is correct, then graduate students have nothing to look forward to. For he also said this week that he expects the cost of a Harvard-Radcliffe tuition to rise about $300, the room rent to rise to $200 and the board fees to go up about $100.

McKinney conceded that a major reason for the GSAS adopting the new plan was in fact to "maintain a reasonable income level for the Faculty of Arts and Sciences," which faces up to a $3.5-million deficit next year.

But even though the new policy will hurt some graduate students by making them pay more, it will substantially reduce tuition for others, by requiring them to pay only a set fee for the use of Harvard facilities.

Under the new system, graduate students will pay full tuition for their first two years, a reduced tuition of $1000 per year for years three and four, then a set facility fee--for Harvard libraries and heath care--of between $350 and $400 per year.

GSAS administrators said this week the plan will work because they are going to crack down on students who don't pay tuition. "We will be much tougher now than we were in the past," McKinney said, alluding to the University's financial trouble.

Although University officials have not yet announced just how much the cost of a now-$3400 graduate education will increase, all indications are that it will be great. Dean Rosovsky this week told Leverett House students that the current economic situation will hit graduate students even harder than undergrads.

If Rosovsky is correct, then graduate students have nothing to look forward to. For he also said this week that he expects the cost of a Harvard-Radcliffe tuition to rise about $300, the room rent to rise to $200 and the board fees to go up about $100.