The Daily Records

written by Brittany Nelson                                                                                                  July 30, 2003    

Rising Tuition Means Bigger Bills for Students

The coming fall is going to mean growing expenses for college students across the state.

Many students at some of Ohio's public colleges are feeling the bite.  Ohio State University student Nina Doss's tuition was raised 13 percent for fall quarter.

"I think the fact that tuitions rising in public institutions makes it a moot point to go there instead of a private one," Ohio State student Lara Ford said. Yet students at public institutions are the only ones feeling the bite. 

According to Capital University student Jamie Taniguchi, her tuition was raised by 9 percent

"There's one scholarship that I have that's worth $14,000,  but the same scholarship for the freshmen coming in this year is full tuition. Theirs will change with the

Woman Leaves School After 54 Years

In June of 2003, lifelong resident of Marion, Ohio Linda Hoch finally left school after being there for over half a decade.

 Hoch began her experience in 1952 at five years old.

 "I have been in a school room ever since then," Hoch said.

 Hoch spent the next 18 years attending Oak Street Elementary, Taft Junior High, and Harding High School. 

 After graduating high school, Hoch went on to Ohio State University.  Her original goal was to get a Bachelor's Secondary Education, majoring in Math and minoring in English, but life had other plans for her.

 While still earning her degree, Hoch was offered a job at MARCA, a school for the disabled and those with various learning and behavioral disorders. 

 She accepted the job and changed her major to psychology.

tuition, but mine won't, so people are complaining about it, saying it's not fair," Taniguchi said. 

Students are feeling the pinch at technical colleges as well. 

"I left Devry earlier this year because they were raising their tuition for their technical programs," Columbus State Student Brittany Nelson said.  "What was the point of staying?"

According to a Devry University document, they have two different levels of tuition, one for their technical

programs and one for all other programs.

 With all the changes in the economy over the past year, taxes on many things have risen.  Could this be the cause of rising tuition prices?

 Not just a few students are facing these rising tuition rates.  Some may find scholarships, loans, and grants can help cover the balance, but others will have to pay out of pocket.

She spent the next 31 years teaching at MARCA, then went on to teach for Marion City Schools at Indian Mound Elementary for five years.  In June of this year, she retired after 36 years of teaching.

During her years as a teacher, Hoch went on to earn a Masters degree in Education from Xavier University and is certified to teach both special education and psychology.

 Hoch also taught Sunday School at her church, Emmanuel Lutheran, for over 12 years and has served s an advisor for their program for students in high school.

 "She's patient.  She wanted to be able to help others," Hoch's sister Louise Nelson said. 

 Her ability to teach even extended to her siblings.  Glenn Messenger recalled that she took the time to show him how to write story compositions and essays.  She explained them so he could understand them, Messenger said.

 Hoch may not be considered a great hero for all the time she's put into teaching children.  She will be remembered by her students, though, and the lives of others she touched through both her church and her family. 

 "She cared about the people she taught," Messenger said.  "She cared about their wellbeing, mentally and physically."

Farmers are finding all the snow and rain from this past winter and spring has made havoc with their crops.

 While crops need water, the unusually wet winter and spring this year has done more harm that good.

Marion farmer John Hoch had to replant a third of his soybean crop this year.  All of the low spots in his fields were drowned in the excessive moisture. 

"Beans don't like to get their feet wet," Hoch said.

To give you an idea of how much a soybean farmer might spend replanting, the current price for a bushel of soybean seeds is about $9.75.  Hoch had to replant about 45 bushels worth of soybeans, or $ 438.75. 

Rain and flooding also kept farmers out of their fields earlier this year, which cost them time in planting.  Lost time means lost money, and this coupled with the amount that farmers spend on their land, equipment, and what they might have to pay to replant, a lot of money can be lost.

Replanting isn't the only difficulty farmers are facing.  The excessive amounts of water stunted many crops like soybeans that need warm weather and dryer conditions.

So much water has also caused some soil erosion.

According to Columbus State Geology professor Jeffery Richardson, massive winter rainfalls is going to result in massive amounts of runoff into local streams. 

This can cause soil erosion, which can wash away nutrients that the plants need.  Though, as Columbus State Geology professor Elle Feth points out, soil erosion depends on many different factors, not just the amount of rain.

One of those factors includes whether or not the soil has been tilled.  If the soil is tilled, then it brings up unexposed dirt and nutrients.  If next winter is just as wet, then those nutrients will be washed away.

With uncertainly about how this winter's weather will be, some farmers have decided not to till this year.