$10 in additional student fees in fall
Students will have to dig deeper in their pockets next year as an additional $10 will be added to student fees. The increase is due to a mandatory increase in library expenses as a result from the merger with Utah State University in 2010.
This archived article was written by: Jonathan Fox
Students will have to dig deeper in their pockets next year as an additional $10 will be added to student fees. The increase is due to a mandatory increase in library expenses as a result from the merger with Utah State University in 2010.
The Student Fees Allocation Committee (SFAC) strives to use student fees in the best interest of the students. The committee is made up of the ESA president, executive vice president, events vice president, the student advocate, the administrative assistant, the ESA advisor as well as two other ESA student members. This year the two invited to sit on the committee were the student resources and the events director. After meeting, the committee submits a proposal to the chancellor, Joe Peterson of how fees should be allocated the following year. According to the ”Student Fee Allocation Committee Policies and Procedures,” the SFAC has the “responsibility to examine how all student fee monies have been used in the past fiscal year and allocate all student fee money for the next fiscal year.”
So what have the fees been used on in the past year, and how will they be used next school year?
In the past, allocation of student fees have gone to five tiers – facilities, institutional support, athletics, ESA, and student services. Under these five categories fall the various subcategories, among which are the computers on campus, the various organizations that students can get involved in, and activities that the school puts on.
This coming year is no different in that student fees will still help to make USU Eastern the best it can be for the students attending, but there are some significant changes as well – beginning with the increase in library fees.
Being part of Utah State University means having access to the expansive library system that the university offers. However, with the added information that comes from that vast database, cost for USU Eastern has gone up, and funds to the Library have significantly increased. That increase must come from student fees. The total fee allocation for the library has increased from $4 to $22.50 next year. As a result, student fees will increase next year from $225 to $235.
“The chancellor was very firm in that he wanted to keep it at 225 as much as possible. That’s the challenge that he gave us. . . at the beginning the number increased far more than 235,” says Fernando Alcantar.
With that goal in mind, the SFAC set out to re-allocate the fees for next year without causing too much of an increase. Many programs at the school will experience a decrease in funds to accommodate the library’s new allocation.
Although the final decision rests with the Chancellor, they are students who sit on the committee that drafts the proposal, and both the students and Chancellor Peterson have in mind the best interests of the students, and strive to keep USU Eastern as affordable as possible.
