Southwest Missouri News-Joplin

by Carol Harris, Branson area, and Mary Engler-Guccione, Joplin area

Tuition at Missouri Southern State College will increase by 2 percent in the fall. Students will also be required to pay 200 percent more to park their cars.

The Missouri State College Board of Trustees approved both measures at its Jan. 16 meeting. College officials said they need the parking increase to pay for a new parking lot.

The board approved the administration's proposal to increase tuition from $72 to $73.50 per credit hour beginning with the 1998-99 school year. This is the smallest percentage increase in tuition at the college in nine years. A student with a course load of 15 hours will pay $1,102.50 under the new tuition. The student now pays $1,080.

Dr. Julio Leon, president of Missouri Southern, said the tuition increase matches the inflation rate.

For out-of-state students, tuition will be twice that of in-state students, or $147 per credit hour. The college has scholarships available for out-of-state students who live in nearby areas that allow them to pay the same tuition as Missouri residents.

The board increased student parking fees from $5 to $15 per semester. The college plans a new parking lot to help solve a campus parking problem which is expected to become worse when the college builds a new field house. The new parking fee will also take effect in the fall.

The proposed field house will wipe out 120 existing parking spaces. To compensate for that, the college will build a new, 200-space parking lot next to the tennis courts and soccer field. The location is close to several frequently used buildings on campus.

The estimated cost of the parking lot is $500,000 or $2,500 per parking space.

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