The Rocky Mountain Collegian

Issue date: 4/6/09 Section: News

Media Credit: Caitlin Kinnett Tony Frank, interim CSU president, attends the RAMFAM Association meeting and speaks with parents and families of current CSU students. The meeting was held in the Longs Peak Room in the Student Recreation Center on Saturday morning.

Interim CSU President Tony Frank met with members of the RAMFAM Association Saturday, and, in responding to parent and students concerns alike, insisted the university will avoid transferring undue fiscal burden to its students.

Frank responded to the inquiries of more than 20 attendees, including parents, students and some faculty, who were concerned about the possibility of future tuition hikes in spite of recent economic downfalls as well as the Joint Budget Committee's recommendation last week to cut $300 million to public higher education.

Frank assured that a tuition increase is a last-resort to make up for the $13.1 million deficit CSU experienced in fiscal year 2009.

"I just don't see that large tuition increases are the best way of balancing our budget," Frank said, noting that undergraduate resident tuition will see a 9 percent increase and non-resident undergraduate rates will rise by 3 percent. "In the long haul I'm very hopeful that we can keep tuition increases low."

Questions pertaining to the events surrounding the sudden resignations of former CSU President Larry Penley in November and former CSU Police Chief Police Dexter Yarborough in January arose during the meeting.

Frank said that while he would love to give more information about the events surrounding both resignations, he was confined by strict personnel guidelines.

One parent voiced her concerns about Yarbrough's $136,000 a-year salary, and Frank answered that, in his opinion, Yarbrough did not deserve to be the highest paid police chief in Colorado.

Vice President of Student Affairs Blanche Hughes, who attended the Saturday session, is chairing the committee searching for the next CSU chief of police, which is currently seeking nominations.

She promised that the salary for the new chief of police at CSU will not be nearly as high, and while the exact figure is not presently known, the final number will be released with the final job description, which is in the process of being finalized.

Continued...

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