But ASMSU, MSU’s undergraduate student government, could mean more to the administration than students realize. So when the government body takes up issues such as a March 17 vote by its Academic Assembly about a proposed tuition freeze, the administration will likely take the vote into consideration.

While ASMSU has little direct influence on what the university does about tuition, its effort to be included in the dialogue is admirable. Being silent would be far worse than not trying to have any impact at all.

And in this case, ASMSU made the right decision about tuition freezes.

The vote to support a tuition freeze was deadlocked at 7-7-0, with ASMSU Academic Assembly Chairperson Pro- Tempore Brad McDonald voting against the measure to break the tie. McDonald should be commended for voting against the bill because an issue such as this should have an overwhelming majority one way or another.

A tuition freeze would not be the best course of action for MSU, as it would result in large program cuts and decrease the university’s quality of education. It is difficult to stomach the possibility of yet another tuition hike, especially during these economic times, but there is a price to pay if students want to continue to get the best education possible from MSU.

It’s disheartening that there is an increasing price tag on such an essential part of life as education. Obviously this is something that must be remedied across the nation, not just in the state of Michigan.

But for right now, education is expensive, and there are very few logical ways to make state schools more affordable — especially when this state has economic problems itself.

In the past, some would suggest dipping into the university endowment to keep tuition rates from rising too much, as proposed increases of nearly 9 percent are outrageous and should be brought down to the 5 percent level if possible.

But considering MSU’s $1.4 billion investment portfolio declined by $300 million since June and donations are expected to be more scarce through the next two years, the money to draw from is disappearing.

In the end, the burden again falls on students and families. In a way, it’s entirely unfair — there is no stop to this tuition hike bleeding. But there also is no Band-Aid.

MSU will meet its enrollment requirements even with a tuition boost, but that is because people know the value of a quality education.

If students want this university and the degrees it hands out to remain respectable, MSU must be able to afford to keep it that way. It’s an unfair trade in the short term, but one that will pay in the long run.