It would be hard to find a student not in favor of the 5 percent tuition cap proposed by the state Council on Postsecondary Education. Any method the state can provide to keep the cost of tuition down and help keep college affordable should be applauded. It is especially appreciated given the current economic climate.

Council members will vote on this proposed tuition cap for the 2009-2010 school year during their meeting on March 6, according to a Thursday Kernel article. The tuition cap is a ceiling on how high research universities in Kentucky, including UK, could raise tuition, said Sue Patrick, CPE communications director.

Without this cap proposed by the CPE, state universities would, without a doubt, take advantage of students, and there would be yet another year of 9 percent (or higher) tuition hikes. This kind of increase each year would surely have an effect on student retention rates and the number of students applying and coming into the university.

UK President Lee Todd said in a statement that the tuition cap is an appropriate response to college education affordability. While it is great for the students and their parents forking over the cash, it may not be so great for UK and other state research institutions.

The university still needs a certain amount of money to run and maintain its faculty and staff, regardless of the percent of the tuition increase. One thing to inevitably consider with this tuition cap is the possibility of employee layoffs. And it’s something that will have to be looked at closely by the CPE and UK Board of Trustees if the cap is approved.

While Patrick said the CPE cap recommendation was made so the universities could “preserve academic quality, faculty and programming at our campuses,” other options to cut expenses would seem necessary to help offset the smaller tuition hike.

Those cost-cutting measures are potentially painful, but may be necessary in order to keep students attending UK.