Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Student Senate will vote tonight on whether to raise student fees by $19.15 per semester for next year.
The fee increase is to compensate for rising inflation rates in the parts of the University that are funded by student fees.
The entities of the University asking for an increase to student fees are: Watkins Memorial Health Center, the Student Recreation and Fitness Center, the Parking Department, the Student Union and Legal Services for Students.
Both Watkins and the Parking Department received increases last year for similar reasons.
Riley Dutton, Pittsburg senior and chair of the finance committee, wrote the legislation.
NAME OF FEE CURRENT FEE PROPOSED FEE
Student Senate Activity Fee $17.50 $17.50
Student Union Building Fee $39 $41
Student Union Renovation Fee $12 $12
Student Health Operations Fee $103.75 $110
Student Health Facilities, Maintenance and Equipment Fee $1.50 $1.50
Child Care Facility Construction Fee $4 $4
Women’s and Non-Revenue Intercollegiate Sports Fee $40 $40
Student Recreation Operations Fee $11.50 $41.20
Student Recreation Bond Fee $52.50 $29.30
Student Recreation Sports Clubs Fee $3 $3
Student Recreation Facilities and Maintenance Fee $1 $1
Student Media Fee $5 $5
Campus Safety Fee $2 $2
Educational Opportunity Fee $6 $6
Campus Transportation Fee $36 $38.70
Campus Environmental Improvement Fee $3.75 $3.75
Legal Services $8.50 $10.20
Newspaper Readership Program Fee $4 $4
Multicultural Resource Center Construction Fee $3.50 $3.50
Multicultural Resource Center Services, Operations and Programs Fee $1.50 $1.50
Multicultural Resource Center Multicultural Education Fund $1.50 $1.50
Multicultural Resource Center Long-term maintenance Fund $ .25 $.25
Student Union Activities Fee $5 $5.
SafeRide Fee $10 $10
Wireless Implementation Fee $5 $5
TOTAL FOR CURRENT FEE: $377.75
TOTAL IN PROPOSED FEES: $396.90
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CURRENT AND PROPOSED FEES: $19.15
“You have to find a balance between what students need and not pricing them out of an education,” Dutton said.
Dutton said that the fee increase was to maintain the current services while factoring in inflation.
According to Student Senate rules and regulations, the campus fee review committee, a subcommittee of the finance committee, reviews fees twice a year. Dutton said that one review was in the fall semester to look at any necessary changes due to inflation, and the second review was in the spring semester to look at adding to or taking away any fees due to a change of services.
Dutton said that this is the first year the campus fee review committee has existed and that one of its purposes has been to ask the entities of the University funded by student fees to make projections of how much they will ask for in coming years. The entities were required to submit projections to Student Senate with where they will need fees to be through the fiscal year 2012.
The projections show a steady rise for the next four years, but Dutton said that would be better than allowing fees to remain static for several years and then asking for dramatic increases.
Dutton said that the projections could change, but that as of right now, student fees are expected to cost about $450 per semester in 2012.
Carol Seager, director of health services at Watkins Memorial Health Center, said that Watkins, which asked for an increase of $6.25 this year, often had to ask for larger-than-average increases because inflation was greater on pharmaceuticals and medical equipment.
Donna Hultine, director of the Parking Department, said that the department had to ask for an increase year because the Parking Department used a new bus system this year that is more expensive than years past. Dutton said that the Parking Department asked for more funding than the $2.70 increase to the Campus Transportation Fee that Student Senate will vote on tonight. Hultine said that even if the Parking Department received the increase in student fees, it would still have a deficit and would need to look at other ways to balance its budget.
Dutton said that the increase Student Senate will vote on tonight is within the rate of inflation that University costs typically increase at, which is about 5 percent.
Dutton also said that any student can be a member of the finance committee. He said that it is not limited to senators or elected officials, and that any student who attends two meetings can have the right to vote on issues such as student fees.
Student Senate meets tonight at 6:30 in the Kansas Room in the Kansas Union.
— Edited by Amelia Freidline
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Comments
Student Senate to vote on fee increases
A United Students representative asked to come to my organization's meeting last spring to campaign. I allowed them to come in, and they gave a brief presentation and finished it off by saying that they would not plan on raising student fees. I feel lied to, although I am in no way surprised. I'm surprised that the most liberal of students are the ones who support this; they should be against fee increases as it prevents students who aren't from wealthy families from being able to afford KU.
Student Senate to vote on fee increases
Whatever we do, don't give the Parking Dept another dime. If they need more money to balance their budget, I'm sure they can write more tickets than they already do.
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