Can you paint with all the colors of rising tuition?

Rising tuition creates issues for a local art major

By Emily Gill
Digital single lens reflex camera for digital photography: $700. Thirty-five millimeter film,
Holga film, and professional printing paper for color photography: $150.
These are the costs of this semesters art classes for Cera Crowe, a sophomore photography
major at Winthrop University.
Expenses such as these are dwarfed by rising tuition. Increases have forced Cera to alter her life
substantially. Personal budget cuts, extra loans and fear of debt have created a metaphorical ball
and chain in her mentality.
Im a little sadder about life, Cera laughed quietly.
The increase
She discovered the increase in Winthrops tuition over the summer when she realized she had to
take another class to meet requirements for her LIFE scholarship. I ended up having to pay
$1,260 for one class, Cera said.
She got a job at Sonic and worked over 40 hours per week. She earned $4 an hour plus tips. In
roller skates, holding seven milkshakes, Cera added with a laugh.
Cera hadnt intended to spend her summer earnings on a class. I wanted to save to live off
campus, but all the money had to go to the class, so Im living in a dorm, she said.

The Winthrop University Cashiers Office web page said the Winthrop University board of
trustees approved a 2.84 percent tuition increase for in-state students this summer. This is a $191
increase from the tuition from the fall of 2013.
Luke Bracken, a junior psychology major at Clemson University and Ceras boyfriend, said, It
isnt fair for young people to have to worry about [rising tuition].
The effects
As a result of the increase in tuition, Cera took out extra loans. Im terrified, coming out of
school with so much debt with no promise of a job, especially with my major, Cera said.
Tom Stanley, chair of the department of fine arts, said people think art graduates wont get a job
in art. To counter this, the art department holds a program with alumni once per semester to talk
about career paths. Graduates discuss their current jobs and how they attained them in hopes of
encouraging students. Its not a linear path [to a career]; they have to work it out, but they do,
Stanley said.
In the meantime, Cera is making cuts in her budget. Brianna Williams, a junior math major and
Ceras best friend, has also been affected by the increase in tuition. Well often do family meals
where we make a big meal [to save money], Williams said.
In addition to her LIFE scholarship, Cera applied to be a McNair scholar. Its the little glimmer
of hope for financially disadvantaged students, Cera said.
The McNair scholarship is for first generation, low-income, and underrepresented
undergraduates. The goal of the scholarship is to prepare students for success in graduate
school by providing opportunities to do undergraduate research and attend workshops.

Ceras proactive approach to scholarships emerged from necessity. My mom is a single parent
and disabled, and my dads in jail, Cera said. Its kind of up to me to pay my own bills.
The schools vs. the state
J.P. McKee, the vice president of finance and business, said the board of trustees recognizes that
students struggle to pay for college and doesnt like approving increases.
Despite this, students fund schools more than the state does. According to a College Board
analysis about trends in tuition, tuition in South Carolina has increased by 30.2 percent between
2006 and 2012.
When I first came [to Winthrop], the state provided 80 percent of the money, McKee said.
Now its only 10 percent.
Government documents disagree. A 2012 report by the Department of the Treasury claimed 23
percent of institutional revenue was provided by the state in 2006-2007. According to
Winthrops 2015 budget, the state provided only 7.2 percent.
The future
Cera intends to graduate as a commercial photography major and a mass communication minor.
If awarded the McNair scholarship, she plans to apply to graduate school at the Rhode Island
School of Design.
I aspire to be a photojournalist bringing news in a meaningful and artistic way to the public eye,
show people what it means to be a human being, Cera said.
Ambition and hope: priceless.