Tuition waiver could bring more students to JSU

De’Arbreya Lee
Blue & White Flash / Staff Writer

Since my freshmen year at Jackson State University, the one thing that stood out to me the most was the cultural make-up of the university.

From fashion, regional ties, and dialect, there was something very distinct about each student. As an out-of-state student from Pittsburg, Calif., I was proud to be one of the students that could represent my state and contribute something different to my university.

When my sophomore year came around, I noticed that many of my friends from areas like Tennessee and Louisiana went back home. Many of them cited the high out-of-state fee as the major factor that contributed to them leaving Jackson State.

The recent news that Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant signed House Bill 1095 on April 9,  a bill that will allow Mississippi universities the option to waive out-of-state tuition fees made me ecstatic!

I thought about what this could possibly mean for Jackson State.  But after doing some research, this is what I discovered.
House Bill 1095 would only apply to students who live in states that border Mississippi like Tennessee, Louisiana and Alabama.  Those students who come from states like California, Illinois and Michigan, to name just a few of the states that our students come from, would not benefit from this bill.
Although I was disappointed to read that the waiver would not affect all out-of-state students, I was still delighted to hear that this bill would be beneficial to some JSU students.
According to an article on the Clarion-Ledger website entitled “Out-of-state tuition waiver signed,” the hopes for the law is that it will level the “playing field for universities so that they can compete with institutions in bordering states.”
With this, each institution would find a particular purpose for waiving its out-of-state tuition for reasons of hoping to gain more students into majors with few students and to persuade more Mississippi natives to attend schools within their home state.
This would not only open the door for more out-of-state student enrollment, but it would also give ease to the current out-of-state student who struggles to remain at the university because of these fees.
My concern however remains for the students in states like California, where I’m from.  What type of relief will we receive from these high out-of-state fees?  For those in-state students struggling to pay tuition, imagine adding an extra $8000 to your bill and then you can feel our pain.
To the legislators, Gov. Bryant and IHL, I say, this is a good start.  I challenge them to also find a way to help out-of-state students who come from places that don’t border Mississippi.

The views expressed in the commentary are those of the writer(s) and in no way represent the views of The Blue & White Flash.