Surprise, surprise. There’s talk of students paying more money to attend Iowa’s state universities. Yes, there is a tuition hike proposal, but Wednesday’s Board of Regents meeting revealed more.

The University of Iowa’s business college dean said a surcharge is needed in his college to upgrade computer services and job training and placement for students.

Iowa State President Martin Jischke opposes the surcharge, which he says would create different costs to attend different colleges in the university. The University of Northern Iowa’s president said the surcharge would limit the accessibility of some programs for students who couldn’t afford the higher rate.

It’s good that Jischke is standing up for the students and protesting the proposed surcharge. At the meeting, he said, in the long run, it would affect ISU students. About three-fourths of ISU students work to pay for their college education, he added.

However, Jischke must remember that these students are also working to pay for their tuition, of which he supports an increase. No matter if it’s a tuition hike or a surcharge, money is precious to students, even if it’s a few hundred dollars.

As Jischke said, “There’s a limit to the debt [students] can carry.” But any increase, tuition hike or surcharge, increases our debt.

It’s a bit hypocritical.

Tuition shouldn’t increase more than the rate of inflation —ÿunless there are legitimate increases in costs. The proposed tuition increase is 3.9 percent. The Bureau of Labor Statistics, in the 12 months which ended in July, reported inflation rose only 2.2 percent. That’s quite an increase.

Also, no legitimate increases in costs have been reported to the students. We haven’t been told what costs are rising to result in such a large tuition increase.

Something’s wrong here; Jischke defends students and their wallets on one point, and then is against us on another. And the increase he’s supporting has no legitimate or concrete backing.