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Tuition, fee increases land on campus shoulders
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by Leslie
Rasimas
Staff Writer
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| Foster Hunt| The
Appalachian |
| Evan Moody directs a question toward
SGA guest speaker Gregory M. Lovins at Tuesday's
meeting. |
A student fee committee is proposing a $44 increase in student
general fees for the 2004-05 academic year.
“The $44 increase is a general fee that all students
would pay,” Interim Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
Dr. Timothy H. Burwell said.
“Those fees include educational and technology fees,
athletic fees and health services. It also includes student
activities such as educational and recreational programs,
cultural affairs and the [Plemmons] Student Union,”
Burwell said.
Master’s candidate Amanda L. Mitchell, who served on
the student fee committee, said “health services proposed
a $9 increase because they need to expand their area, and
they would like to hire a new clinician for the expected
growth of the university. [The fee] would help to cover the
cost.”
The educational and recreational programs and student union
each proposed $7 increases, Mitchell said.
Athletics proposed a $15 increase, and educational and technology
proposed a $6 increase to total $44, she said.
“As long as the university could tell me exactly how
the money affects and benefits the students, like hiring
doctors or buying computers, then I was ok with raising fees
if it had to be done,” Mitchell said.
The committee proposed additional fees for subsistence, which
includes room and board, Burwell said.
“There is a $173 proposal for these fees. This includes
the room option and the meal plan. These apply to all freshmen
that live on campus, and any students living on campus or
purchasing a meal plan, Burwell said.
A portion of this proposed increase will help to pay for
renovations of dorm rooms, Mitchell said.
“There will be a dorm [under renovation] every year
for the next 18 years, and each renovation will cost approximately
$5 million each,” she said.
Mitchell said the committee proposed the meal option increase
along with a proposal for a new meal plan.
“We want to offer a $2,500 meal option for any students
who may need or want it,” she said.
Burwell said the proposal needed more input.
“We have to offer this information to the students
and constituents. The chancellor wants more feedback from
these people before taking the proposal to the Board of Trustees,”
he said.
Gregory M. Lovins, associate vice chancellor for administration,
said the student fee committee is new and formed by the Board
of Governors.
“The Board [of Governors] decided to enact this new
policy late this year,” Lovins said.
“We got the word in late September and everything was
finalized early October to pull this committee together,”
Lovins said.
“I think it’s a great policy. It has us looking
at things in greater detail than we have in the past. It’s
gotten student and campus involvement,” he said.
Lovins said if the proposed fee passes legislation, students
receiving financial aid would be responsible for the increase.
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