In response to the country's economic condition, students and institutions are searching for new ways to cope with higher costs. The Vice President of Student Affairs at Columbia College in Chicago talked with students last week in an effort to explain how the institution plans to cut budget costs and make higher education more affordable by making an effort to increase scholarship funds while keeping tuition increases below 5 percent each year. Deborah Holdstein, dean of the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences, suggests re-evaluating the college's core requirements in an effort to help students graduate in less time. Budget cuts are difficult for many schools to manage because of the steady rise in inflation. Sandy Baum, a senior analyst at the College Board, explains that private institutions will most likely need to limit tuition increases accordingly. However, for many private institutions, which depend heavily on tuition, limiting increases in tuition cost will hinder their ability to respond to the increased demand for financial aid.

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