Warning: contains political rant. Oklahoma is having a major budget crisis because of tax breaks to corporations and the wealthiest citizens in combination with low oil prices and failure to tax oil appropriately during the boon years (as many other oil states did). The Oklahoma legislature does not value public education and made it a very low priority in funding. Our public K-12 schools are in crisis and our public school teachers are among the lowest paid in the country. The legislature chose to give higher education even larger cuts. This is not just OU but all state public higher-ed institutions. Some have suggested that Boren was hit hard because the legislature is punishing him for proposing a $0.01 sales tax increase for public education (I believe to be devoted entirely or primarily to K-12 and particularly teacher salaries). This proposal is a result of the legislature not properly funding education and not seeking any real solutions. The last I heard this proposal is moving forward and likely will be on the ballot in November. Boren is dealing with what he was handed and I won’t criticize how he is handling this. I wouldn’t want his job and the mess that our governor and legislature dumped on him. He has tough choices and no one will like any of them. Just remember, Boren didn’t create this problem. Check out the website for Oklahoma Policy Institute (okpolicy dot org) for lots more detailed information. Even with the increases in tuition and fees, OU is still a very good value, especially for resident students. If you want to keep tuition and fees low, put pressure on the OK governor and legislature to end tax breaks for corporations and our wealthiest citizens and adequately fund public education. If you are an Oklahoma citizen, pay attention to the upcoming elections and the candidates’ positions on education and vote accordingly. Some people are advocating cleaning house of all incumbents, but there are a few that support education and we need to keep them.