Tuition increases, student freedom of expression and evaluation of academic advisers were among the topics covered at an open forum Tuesday night featuring University President the Rev. Robert A. Wild.

The forum also featured Provost Madeline Wake and Senior Vice President Greg Kliebhan.

Student attendance of the forum was sparse outside the members of Marquette Student Government, which sponsored the event.

Tuition was the primary issue at the forum, and in response to a question Wild offered a justification for the tuition increases in the next school year.

"The problem is the rising costs to run a university," he said. "We have to retain a very strong faculty and pay them at a better rate. It is very expensive to run a university."

Besides the costs of paying faculty members, Wake also mentioned other costs that have increased that led to the tuition hike.

"Heating has gone up 15 percent, along with health care," she said. "We try to control all of the increases on campus so we can try to help students."

Wild said although there have been substantial tuition increases, a Marquette education is still a good value for the amount of money it costs to attend the university.

"Of the top 120 universities in U.S. News, in which we are 85th, Marquette has the fifth lowest tuition compared to the some 60 private institutions in the rankings," he said.

Although the university annually increases the student body's tuition, some students wondered if the university is not doing everything possible to cut costs.

"We have a lengthy list of projects that have been created to cut university costs," Kliebhan said. "Technology has provided ways to cut costs by doing things people used to do."

The university has made $7 million of permanent savings since 1998, Kliebhan said. The savings were created because the university was in a "less than ideal financial situation at the time," he said.

"If we're getting fat and sassy at your expense, then we're defeating the purpose of the university," he said.

Besides the tuition increases, the panel offered an explanation to why there will not be a performance of "The Vagina Monologues," a play that deals with female sexuality and women's issues, on campus.

"There are objections to portions of the viewpoints of sexuality that (are) presented in the play," Wild said. "Key faculty members do not think very well of the play."

Several students believed the university was violating a student's freedom of expression on campus. Kliebhan said limiting freedom of expression was not their intention.

There will be no performances of the play on campus, but Wild said the university will continue to have a strong stance against violence toward women.

The accountability of academic advisers was also brought up at the forum.

"We have a ways to go in terms of making advising better," Wake said. "We're working on a way to hold advisers accountable in the bulletins given to students."

Wild said keeping advisers in check is a benefit for students.

"Students need to be well served, but some advisers are better than others," he said. "A way of evaluating is a good idea."