Star Tribune editorial says that the affordability of a college education has to be one of the major issues addressed by political candidates this season at all levels. It also points out the disporportionate amount of relief recieved by the U of M without similar aid at other state universities.
Good point, although maybe waiting until nearly October to make it was a bit tardy.
One issue they don't address, though. Like healthcare, the Strib advocates distributing more money to students to help pay rapidly increasing educational costs. That may be necessary. But again, like healthcare, is it sensible to continue throwing money at a necessary service whose costs are explosively rising far beyond the rate of inflation of other goods and services in the economy without asking why?
Diligent government officials don't write a blank check and walk away. They want to know where the money's going. State universities should have to defend their funding requests line by line as any other institution of government does. If you've got unusual cost increases that are way out of porportion to inflationary costs of the economy in general, you'd better come up with some pretty unusual reasons for that.
AND, by the way, we need to clarify this affordability question once again. Any U of M student from a family making under $50,000 per year pays ZERO tuition. So what we're talking about here is increasing aid to the families who, along with other taxpayers, are now paying the bill for the non-payers.