Claire Rutz is paying her way to the American Dream.

Rutz, a Syracuse University freshman, undeclared in The College of Arts and Sciences, is one of five children living on her family farm. A stranger would write off her financial situation as too limited, too hopeless. Then again, life has never handed things to her on a silver platter, and college is no exception.

Rutz is making any sacrifice just to pay her bills – a difficult process because of rising tuition costs across the nation. And as the cost of higher education continues to swell, students from even comfortable middle-class families are finding the college price tag a difficult load to bear.

Tuition and other fees at four-year private colleges are expected to jump this year by an average $1,190, or an estimated 5.9 percent, according to the College Board, a non-profit association composed of 5,000 different educational organizations. Tuition costs at public universities are predicted to rise by at least 6.6 percent, according to the College Board.

Syracuse University is following the trend. The University Senate Budget Committee passed a uniform 5.9 percent increase Jan. 18 for the 2006-2007 school year that will bring the cost of tuition and housing to about $43,990.

The cost for undergraduate tuition increases from $27,210 to $28,820, not including room and board, said John Hogan, director of the SU office of budget and planning.

Room costs itself will increase from $5,620 to $5,950 for a split double, and board will increase from $5,090 to $5,390 for a 19-meal plan, he said.

‘When I decided I was going here was when they decided to tell me that,’ said Rutz about the tuition hike. ‘My dad laughed and said, ‘Good luck.”

Despite financial assistance in the form of a Perkins Loan, Federal Stafford Loan, City Assist Loan and a grant from SU for $10,000, Rutz expects to be about $100,000 in debt by her graduation date. Aside from the $150 check her grandfather sends once a month, Rutz is solely responsible for handling her college expenses.

‘I always knew I’d have to pay for my own college,’ Rutz said. ‘I don’t know what I want to do or what I want to be … but I wanted to go here even if the price was ridiculous.’

It’s no mystery that an expected household contribution may influence the college decision-making process long before a student sets foot on campus.

Starting in the ’70s and ’80s, federal aid programs were designed to facilitate higher education for students once unable to afford it, according to the College Board. Today, in addition to university scholarships, the programs still encourage students to weigh financial aid packages and minimize upcoming checkbook setbacks.

Louise Poirier, a junior English and textual studies major, chose SU instead of the University of Rochester because it offered more assistance in the form of scholarships, she said.

At the start of her college career, Poirier was able to pay for half of her expenses through loans and the other half in scholarship funds. That is, until her younger brother failed out of college twice, cutting a significant portion of her loan support.

‘My brother’s in school, and every time he flunks, I lose money and have to pay more in loans,’ said Poirier, who lost her Federal Perkins Loan – a low-interest loan awarded on the basis of need. The loan was revoked because Poirier’s family was considered wealthy enough to fund her education in the absence of her brother’s tuition bills, she said.

About 80 percent of students at SU receive some form of financial assistance, said Christopher Walsh, dean of financial aid. There is a direct correlation between tuition charges and financial aid, he said, since student assistance is a percentage of the university’s revenue.

Full-time students in private four-year schools receive an average $9,600 in the form of grants and tax benefits, according to the College Board.

While less-privileged students and families risk being pulled into an undertow of bills, the federal government and other institutions are working to make college a manageable undertaking.

More financial aid is accessible than ever before – $129 billion to be exact, according to the College Board. Student assistance grew 3 percent between 2003-04 and 2004-05, after adjusting for inflation. At the same time, undergraduate aid in the form of grants – gifts that reduce the burden of low-interest loans – is growing in smaller increments.

As a general rule, grant funds for higher education, such as the Pell Grant and the Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant have remained relatively flat for the last five or six years, Walsh said. Despite this movement, SU grants generally increase at a rate equal to or higher than the cost of tuition, he added.

A new challenge presents itself in a proposal made by Gov. George Pataki to tighten the qualifications for the New York Tuition Assistance Program. Students would be required to take 15 credits, not 12, to qualify as a full-time student or face a 20-percent loss from a standing award, Walsh said.

TAP is a need-based grant for New York state residents attending approved schools in the state, which includes SU. Most TAP recipients also have a work-study award, said Robert Wilson, associate director of the Office of Supportive Services. This poses an additional challenge, since the required eight to 15 hours of work forces students to sacrifice time they don’t have, Wilson said.

Freshman geography major Alex Ward said he is especially concerned about money matters since his parents are only paying for his first year of college.

‘When I told my mom tuition was going up, the first thing she said was ‘Go to the financial aid office,” said Ward.

Shelling out an extra couple thousand dollars next year may require new and varying plans of attack for students like Ward, since the reasons for a tuition increase at SU have already been established.

The increase is a product of factors including increased salaries for faculty and staff, a decrease in enrollment, health insurance costs and more available financial aid, said Hogan.

‘Higher education gets more expensive every year, and for many families becomes more of a challenge,’ said Walsh. ‘We have to work with state governments and federal governments to ensure financial aid programs are supported and not undermined.’

Walsh said he has no reason to believe that tuition will stop rising like everything else in the global marketplace, which is why SU needs to reinvigorate a campaign for outside donors.

‘The number of students enrolled is an important factor for what the tuition rate will do,’ Walsh said. ‘That’s why we need to look to the future to develop strategies so we don’t place burdens on families and students.’

Students in charge of funding at least part of their education have the opportunity to benefit from lessons of personal responsibility and a newfound appreciation for college life. Financial initiative can foster a sense of freedom and control of one’s living expenses and offer preparation for real-world independence.

Soon after losing a portion of her loans, Poirier headed straight to the student employment office and enlisted in the food service industry. Poirier earns her keep at Goldstein Food Court, where her tasks consist of pouring coffee, making sandwiches and ‘sticking my hands in piles of chicken.’ It is a daily reminder of her financial obligations.

A work-study job has heightened Poirier’s awareness of where her hard-earned dollars are going, as well as forces her to stay focused on her studies, she said.

‘I know if I didn’t have loans or financial aid, I wouldn’t be able to come here,’ she said. ‘Just knowing that makes you conscious of your grades and trying to stay in … I don’t have very much time to goof off, taking 19 credits and work study.’

The stress of students supporting themselves can be a daunting task that simultaneously detracts from and enriches the ‘college experience.’ For some, college becomes a chance to mature not only socially and academically, but financially as well.

‘If you’re conscious of your financial situation at this point in life you’ll be a lot better off in the future,’ Poirier said. ‘You know how hard it is to make money and how it can disappear just like that.’

As a main desk assistant at Booth Hall, Ward nervously waits for the day he’ll have to start paying his own tuition bill, a situation he considers ‘a huge weight that’s always on (his) back – worrying about whether (he) can afford next semester or not,’ he said.

The main reason why he chose SU before a less-expensive public university, he said, was to take advantage of the opportunity to get away from his home state and the schools popular with most of his friends.

Nearly half of employed students dedicate more than 25 hours a week to their cash flow, according to Tamara Draut’s book ‘Strapped: Why America’s 20-and 30-Somethings Can’t Get Ahead.’ Student Employment Services at SU employs no less than 4,000 students a year, and the average student works 10 to 12 hours a week, said Carol Flynn, a job development specialist at the center.

Employment services offers 200 different work-study positions through 45 different agencies, and the center never runs out of job openings, Flynn said. She added the decision to seek employment in addition to usual coursework has become more of a prerequisite in recent years.

‘It used to be, years ago, that students didn’t have to work, but the cost of living has gone up and tuition has gone up – parents say, ‘We’ll pay tuition and you pay the rest,” Flynn said. ‘It went from being a choice to a must.’

Finding a source of extra funds is a less urgent prospect for sophomore rhetorical studies major Brad Holtzman, whose parents are covering most of his college fees. As an employee at Schine Student Center, Holtzman considers himself lucky to have such support and said he feels bad for his parents when they are hit with high tuition bills.

‘You can’t stop what the university is doing, you just have to deal with it,’ Holtzman said. ‘If you find the right job it’s not as stressful … it’s nice to make a little extra money and take a break from your day.’

College graduates confront a wide range of new challenges upon exiting the bubble of academia. Finding a job, establishing a living situation, dealing with low-entry salaries and paying off student debt may culminate into a rude awakening for students living on their own.

The average student accumulates about $19,000 in debt by the time they graduate, Walsh said. Students are usually granted a six to 12-month grace period before they’re required to pay back federally subsidized loans. At the same time, a new chapter can bring a variety of unanticipated expenditures.

After graduating last May with a degree in economics, Robert Palermo is now living from paycheck to paycheck. About $17,500 of his tuition was paid for through his father’s employment at the University of Dayton, yet he graduated $10,000 in debt.

‘It’s just impossible,’ Palermo said. ‘You can’t save any money – every extra cent that you have goes toward your debt. You prefer to have it paid off so you have zero savings, and it’s hard to work like that.’

One of the biggest realities college graduates face is the cost of living in terms of apartment bills, transportation and the accumulation of credit card debt, said Teresa DiMagno, director of Career Exploration. Salaries have kept up with inflation so students are not necessarily struggling in that respect, she said.

A college job at a burrito restaurant made it exciting for Palermo to imagine making $900 every two weeks, he said, but now he considers the sum insignificant.

‘I expected everything, but I expected my money to go farther,’ he said. ‘Rent, food, car insurance, gas – I didn’t realize how much it was really it was going to be, or how little expendable income you have.’

Unlike Palermo, 2004 graduate Sean Howard did not have to worry about post-graduation debt because her parents were able to pay for her college expenses. Yet her parents limited their contributions to four years, so graduate school will have to wait until she can save enough money on her own.

‘Working in New York City, I barely make ends meet, so I don’t know if I have that extra kind of money right now,’ Howard said. ‘A lot of my friends have loans out, and it’s difficult living on your own and working. Sometimes there is the option of living with your parents.’

Today’s generation of parents is generally more supportive of their children, DiMagno said, regardless of whether the expense is secondary education, housing or a wedding. Parents are more involved in their sons’ or daughters’ lives and often do whatever they can to see them succeed, she said.

Overall, students are better prepared for the future; it is a sign of how society has evolved, Walsh said. ‘Higher education is more important in the work place, and students are told at a younger age they not only deserve but are entitled to an education … that’s a great thing.’

Howard is using that education to get ahead in the game of life – one day at a time.

‘Sometimes it seems hard, like I’m really not saving,’ Howard said, ‘but you keep on working, get raises, move up the ladder, do what you have to do, work on the side and do what you have to do to keep yourself on the up and up.’

Published on February 15, 2006 at 12:00 pm