By Austin Schmitt

After about 20 minutes of debate, the UK Board of Trustees approved a 5 percent tuition increase for in-state and out-of-state undergraduate students for the 2009-10 school year.

All student fees increased by a total of 5 percent and included a new environmental stewardship fee of 75 cents per semester.

The trustees voted 16 to 3 in favor of the tuition and mandatory fee increases.

The dissenting votes came from trustees Dr. Charles Sachatello, Russ Williams and Erwin Roberts.

Sachatello pointed to his tie he was wearing during the debate over increases, saying he received it for free from the University Health Care Committee. Sachatello said the tie cost over $100, and he questioned how UK can give gifts of that size with a tight budget.

He also said he wanted students of all state universities to let Frankfort know they will not stand for a tuition increase.

“Send (objections to tuition increases) in such volume that you will constipate their computers,” Sachatello said.

Last week, the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education, the state group that oversees postsecondary education, voted to cap UK’s in-state undergraduate tuition at 5 percent.

UK couldn’t raise their tuition above 5 percent, and staff trustee Russ Williams didn’t agree with the cap.

“I suppose we make (the tuition increase) 4.9 percent to show we’re responsible,” Williams said. “… which is dumb.”

Jo Curris was also reluctant to vote for the increase but did not know what else the Board could do.

“I’m reluctant to vote, but what else are our options?” Curris said.

UK President Lee Todd addressed trustees’ concerns about no faculty pay raise, student tuition increases and the top-20 plan.

“This is the yin and the yang you have to go through in this situation,” Todd said. “Backing off top-20 — that would be shirking our responsibility.”

Meal plans

Along with passing a tuition increase, the trustees approved new meal plans for next year.

Dining Services will offer a new plan offering 130 meals that can be used anytime throughout the semester.

Along with the 130 meals, 300 Flex Dollars are included.

Dining Services will also offer three other meal plans with the basic meal plan being the same as this past school year: five meals per week and 300 Flex Dollars. The other meal plans are for 10 meals per week with 300 Flex Dollars and 21 meals per week with 300 Flex Dollars.

The only other change in meal plans is that up to 100 Flex Dollars will roll over from the Fall to the Spring semester.

SG President Tyler Montell said feedback from student surveys given throughout the year prompted Dining Services to make changes in response to student concerns.

“At the end of the day, I think the plan is improved,” Montell said. “But the meal plan is something that can constantly be improved.”