Costs put SEMO closer to being unaffordable

To the editor:

I'm a third-year student at Southeast Missouri State University, and things haven't been bad. I blow off all the joking I get from all of my friends who went to St. Louis University, Mizzou and especially Southwest Missouri State University about how much there is to do in St. Louis, Columbia and Springfield, because I've enjoyed the atmosphere that Cape Girardeau and our campus has had to offer.

However, it seems to me that students like myself are paying a lot more (tuition, food on campus, parking, housing) and we're getting a lot less now. I didn't use Parker Pool all the time, but I had friends who did. Now it's being closed, and that's not the only thing being taken away even though we're paying more than ever. Educational programs are also getting hit. My major is within the Music Department, which has little or no money whatsoever. Once again, many costs usually covered by the university are passed along to the students.

If Southeast wasn't so affordable, I wouldn't be going here. It's starting to get to the point where it's not affordable. On top of that, living on campus is beginning to be less than an enjoyable place when students have free time. Unless students are older than 21, Cape Girardeau doesn't have many things to offer either.

JEREMY BOYER

Potosi, Mo.