The President of Eastfield, Dr. Eddie Tealer, assured the community and student body that the recent tuition increase would benefit them by providing expanded services to cover their peculiar needs.
He made those remarks during the Tuition Adjustment Information session organized by the Student Government Association (SGA) at the school recently to gather students’ responses to the 22% increase and address their concerns.
“If there are any services that you need to have to make you successful, we don’t want anyone to fall from our system, every student counts, and this is the way to respond to your needs by hearing from you,” Dr. Tealer said.
He explained that the benefits “were wrapped up” in the expanded services students would enjoy after the tuition increase takes effect later this year.
Dr. Tealer highlighted some of the benefits like emergency services and expanded tutoring services that are tailored to specific needs. He emphasized that students should look up the many resources at the school.
The president said that the Student Care Coordinators are the first points of contact for students to access the Student Care Network for basic needs and resources, health and promotion services, counseling and psychological services, and other student support services.
SGA President Veronica Romero agreed with the idea that the fee increase would be beneficial eventually.
“The increase has the potential to be beneficial for the student body as it will continue funding the existing resources and provide additional support in areas of high interest,” she said.
For those without access to FAFSA and other scholarships to mitigate the impact of the fee increase, Romero explained: “I have been communicating with the administration to help identify our most vulnerable students and help them find the necessary resources. If students are unable to qualify for FAFSA, they may be able to qualify for TAFSA or the scholarships available through the Dallas College Foundation. We also have an emergency fund available for students through the Basic Needs Survey, work-study for eligible students and on-campus jobs for international students.”
Sharon Cook, campus administrator in the president’s office, pointed out that the tuition increase was just a matter of time. “We have not had an increase in 10 years. We are one of the lowest in tuition in the nation and, remember, that also includes your books and we have no fees so all of that was taken into consideration for that increase,” she said.
The Dean of Students, Dr Jaris Williams, appealed to students to look at the increase from a beneficially holistic point of view due to increased funding across several services.
Jennifer Watson, a financial adviser from financial services, said that the decision to increase tuition was drawn from reliable data and survey collection among the student body, faculty, staff and the larger Dallas community the seven colleges serve.
Those present at the meeting included Wednesday Newell, senior student care coordinator; Taylor Oliver of the financial aid office; Nia Jackson of the multicultural office; Yolanda Johnson of the international students office; and a large number of concerned students.
Student Life Coordinator Luis Sanchez moderated the event and promised to provide a continuous flow of student feedback prior to the tuition increase, which comes into system-wide effect on December 13 for the Wintermester.
