The SUU Student Fee Review Committee, staffed by student representatives from various departments, met on Wednesday, Jan. 23, to finalize their recommendations for the 2018-19 student fees.
At the committee’s previous meetings, it was determined they needed more information on multiple fees before voting on the final numbers.
The Civic Engagement Fee for the Leavitt Center had proposed a $4 increase to $5 but a lack of clarity forced the issue to the next meeting. The director of the Leavitt Center, Mary Bennett, was in attendance for the second session to provide answers. Bennett considers the Leavitt Center different than other campus offices as they help a wider variety of students beyond the intended majors. “We are an unusual animal but we are there to serve all students and so we have two tracks. One track is student jobs related to work in the majors that they have and internships, paid internships. The other half of what we do is student programming. In 2018, we had a total of 87 events, always open to all students, and a variety of topics. We do service projects once a month.” The increased funds will be used to provide more internships and open up more events for every student. With this new information, the committee passed the fee of $5.
SUU’s student marching band proposed a new fee of $3 but the initial proposal also lacked enough information. Director Adam Lambert was brought in to discuss the fee with the committee. “In all the research, I have done, the marching bands in the Big Sky Conference and in other comparable schools, we are funded way less. I mean we’re getting by on a shoestring budget,” he reports to the committee. The band plans to use this money for instrument upkeep and purchases as well as upgraded uniforms as they have been reusing the same pieces for the last 25 years. These efforts will also help the overall quality of the band which in turn will grow the program as prospective students become interested. The committee decided in favor of a $2 fee rather than the proposed $3.
“In all the research I have done, the marching bands in the Big Sky Conferance and in other comparable schools, we are funded way less. I mean we’re getting by on a shoestring budget.
Both the Writing Center and the Speech and Presentation Center had the Dean of The College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Jean Boreen, speak to the committee about both fees for the two centers. As a program fee through the HSS college, The Speech and Presentation Center would not receive sufficient funding for their operations. The student fee would allow the center to pay wages for the multiple student positions and allow for more resources for every student. The motion passed unanimously at $2.
The Writing Center is requesting a new fee of $5 to maintain the services they provided in 2,600 appointments throughout the 2018 Fall semester. The fee would allow for new tutors from different disciplines to aid with different types of papers. A new online feature is in the works for the center that will give another resource for residential students, as well as help for online students. The fee was passed at $4 to supplement these needed expenditures.
The fees discussed at the meeting are not final, but must be passed through multiple councils before being published in March. Some fees may be changed and some may be rejected entirely. These numbers are not final and may change as the process continues.
Fees Recommended by the Student Committee
- Sharwan Smith Student Center-$146
- Athletics- $105
- Information Technology- $32
- Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS)- $25.40
- Student Center Activity-$19
- SUMA-$15
- Library- $8
- Outdoor Recreation-$8
- SUUSA- $10.75
- University Journal- $5.50
- Campus Recreation-$5
- Civic Engagement (Leavitt Center)- $5
- Community Engagement-$4.75
- Writing Center-$4
- Music Department-$3.25
- Marching Band-$2
- Speech and Presentation Center- $2
- ID-$1.50
- Theatre, Arts, and Dance- $4
- Tutoring Center-$3
Story By: Tomas D’Anella
news@suunews.net
Photo By: Unsplash
