Mizzou faces tough choices on tuition

When a St. Louis judge recently ruled that the University of Missouri had illegally charged tuition for 15 years -- a staggering $450 million -- the university was left wondering what it should do next.

Appeal? Pay back the students? Give out vouchers to be used at any of its four campuses?

It may take a long time to resolve those issues. But it appears pretty plain that legislators 130 years ago thought Missourians were entitled to a tuition-free education at Mizzou.

For years, the university complied with the 1872 law, charging fees to cover many costs but not a credit-hour fee until 1986. This continued until a lawsuit challenging the tuition charges was filed last year.

Current legislators clearly think the university should be able to charge a credit-hour fee. They quickly changed the law to allow the practice established in 1986.

It's too bad university officials didn't seek that change when they began charging tuition instead of waiting to argue in court that credit-hour fees aren't tuition. The judge was not amused.