H-2234              _______________________________________________

                                    HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 4416

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State of Washington                              50th Legislature                              1987 Regular Session

By Representatives Jacobsen, Allen and Miller

Read first time 4/8/87 and referred to Committee on Higher Education.

WHEREAS, Part-time students pay between fifty percent and one hundred fourteen percent more for their educations than do full-time students; and

          WHEREAS, Part-time students are frequently forced to take fewer than twelve credit hours because their financial need requires them to work while attending school; and

          WHEREAS, Part-time students include disproportionate numbers of single heads of household and other economically disadvantaged groups who cannot afford to attend school full time; and

          WHEREAS, Part-time students are often ineligible to receive financial aid; and

          WHEREAS, Public colleges and universities define part-time students as those enrolled for fewer than twelve credit hours; and

          WHEREAS, Public colleges and universities charge full-time tuition rates to students who take as few as seven credit hours; and

          WHEREAS, The disparity between tuition rates paid by full-time and part-time students is both inequitable and unfair; and

          WHEREAS, Support for rectifying this inequitable fee structure has been demonstrated by the Washington student lobby, the joint legislative advisory committee on higher education governance tuition, fees and financial aid, and the former council for postsecondary education; and

          WHEREAS, The Legislature recognizes the autonomy and authority of the regents and trustees of the public colleges and universities to modify the definition of full-time tuition;

          NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, By the House of Representatives of the State of Washington, That the trustees and regents of the public colleges and universities be requested to exert their statutory authority to redefine more equitably and fairly full-time tuition rates as those applying only to students enrolled in between twelve and eighteen credit hours; and

          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the redefinition of full-time tuition rates be effective for the fall term of 1988; and

          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That notification of the Legislature's request be delivered to regents, trustees, and presidents of all public colleges and universities by July 1, 1987.