During a student press conference on March 1, University President Tania Tetlow, J.D., communicated that Fordham will raise the cost of tuition for the 2023-24 academic year. She declined to announce the exact amount the tuition raise will be or whether it would impact room and board costs or related fees.

Tetlow also discussed student concerns and the slew of events that occurred since her term began, such as union activity, Title IX initiatives, improving diversity within admissions, and distribution of resources between the Lincoln Center and Rose Hill campus. The conference consisted of editors from both papers; Bob Howe, assistant vice president for communications and special adviser to the president; and Tetlow in the president’s dining room, located on the 12th floor of the Lowenstein Center.

When speaking with The Observer and The Ram, Tetlow cited the reasoning behind the tuition raise as the lasting impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the university’s finances, as well as larger economic conditions such as inflation. She explained that inflation at the national level trickled down to the collegiate tier as well, impacting university spending.

“The inflation that is hitting all of you and your families as a kick in the shin is hitting the university. We constantly remind ourselves that every penny we spend at this university represents the life savings of your families.” University President Tania Tetlow, J.D.

“The inflation that is hitting all of you and your families as a kick in the shin is hitting the university,” she said.  “We constantly remind ourselves that every penny we spend at this university represents the life savings of your families.”

According to Forbes, several elite and private institutions across the country have forecasted or announced increased tuition rates of 4% or more. Stanford University approved a 7% increase for the 2023-24 academic year; other schools have followed suit, including Duke University, Georgetown University, Washington University in Saint Louis, Brown University and Yale University. 

She emphasized that during the pandemic, the university did not increase tuition to accommodate families’ financial difficulties. The university did raise tuition by 4% for the 2022-23 academic year. 

“We’ve kind of got forever behind being able to sustain ourselves because we had a year without tuition increases,” she said. 

Currently, Fordham University’s tuition is $58,082, compared to the national average cost of tuition of $41,568, according to US News and World Reports.

Tetlow also mentioned higher staff compensation as a reason for higher tuition. She specifically noted the recent contract agreement between the university and Fordham Faculty United (FFU), which represents nontenure-track professors at Fordham. 

“We also have a lot of pressures on compensation, a desire for employees who have been hit by inflation in the way that you have as well wanting raises that are commensurate with that,” she said. 

Currently, Fordham University’s tuition is $58,082, compared to the national average cost of tuition of $41,568, according to US News and World Reports. In fall 2020, the average need-based scholarship or grant awarded to first-year students at Fordham University was $31,974, with 71% of first-year students receiving need-based financial aid. Tetlow added that funds are allocated for students who cannot afford a tuition increase so they can have their financial aid expanded. 

“We have to find a way to cover those increased costs so that the students who can’t afford that shouldn’t pay those increased costs. Because otherwise, it’s got to come from somewhere,” she said. “And it comes from either the quality of the services and the education we’re providing, and so then what’s left is that trade off of providing you the excellence that you deserve (and) the student support that you need and require at a price you can hopefully afford.”  

The president said the university would support students who intend to appeal their financial aid offer.

“We have a process in place for going and requesting and making these appeals, and we will hold back significant funds. That’s not a guarantee that if you just come in and ask you’ll be granted it: We are trying to get the money we have to the people who need it most,” she said. 

Aside from the tuition increase, Tetlow also addressed the multiple unionization efforts that have taken place this year. She acknowledged that the current social and political climate represents a moment for union employees and workspaces nationally to examine their collective power and grapple with fundamental inequalities within the American economy.

“The ways that adjunct faculty are treated in the academic marketplace is really difficult. I worked hard to acknowledge that and express real empathy for them,” Tetlow replied. “There are consequences to trying to be more egalitarian here. We still function within a marketplace: I can’t say to the highest paid faculty ‘I need you to cut your salaries to pay others,’ so I lose them.”

In regard to the recent Fordham Rose Hill Resident Assistant (RA) proposal to unionize, Tetlow shared that the RAs proposal was rejected because the administration was unable to understand what union they were proposing, such as whether it included Lincoln Center RAs in addition to Rose Hill.

In regard to the recent Fordham Rose Hill Resident Assistant (RA) proposal to unionize, Tetlow shared that the RAs proposal was rejected because the administration was unable to understand what union they were proposing, such as whether it included Lincoln Center RAs in addition to Rose Hill.

She went on to share that for students there are major consequences to forming a union, namely that whether or not students voted in favor or opposition, they would be required to join the bargaining table.

“We want to make sure that students vote to ensure that this is the way of the students, and if it is, then we will absolutely have a union,” Tetlow said. 

In regard to how the religious affiliation of the university impacts student life, she shared that the doctrine of the church is what dictates policies such as the use of contraceptives and that these provisions will not alter as long as the church’s doctrine remains. 

According to the student handbook, while the personal possession of contraceptives, contraceptive devices and birth control in any form is permitted, distribution of such preventive measures on Fordham property, utilizing university resources and at university-sponsored events is prohibited. 

“I am going to try my very best to do right by all of you and that this job is such a labor of love for me because of the students, we are much more likely to get it right with the help from students.” University President Tania Tetlow, J.D.

“I am happy to tell you publicly that it is one that I disagree with and I hope the Church changes its mind,” she said. “But in the meantime, we are bound by it, not by funding but by identity, and it would be more of an issue if we weren’t smack in the middle of a city where that access is not hard to get to.”  

Tetlow emphasized that she is open to feedback about how Fordham can improve upon serving others. 

“I am going to try my very best to do right by all of you and that this job is such a labor of love for me because of the students, we are much more likely to get it right with the help from students,” she said. 

Tetlow also addressed freedom of speech, Fordham’s engagement with the Bronx community, Title IX efforts, treatment of international students and challenges she endured during her first year.  

The Observer will publish a detailed reporting of this conference in the coming days.

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