November 12, 1998
November 12, 1998| On Tuesday night, Vice
Chancellor for Student Development Dr. Gregory Blimling presented the proposed
student tuition and fees for the 1999-2000 school year to the Student Government
Association.
The proposal calls for an increase of $184 in fees for each student that lives on campus and has a meal plan. The $184 is an increase of just under five percent over last year’s fees. Tuition will remain at $918 next year, showing no increase. According to Blimling, the state sets the tuition for every school in the North Carolina university system. There will be an increase of $34 per student in the student activities fee. The activities fee includes items such as health services, athletics, recreational program and the upkeep of the Plemmons Student Union. Half of the increase in the student activities fee will go towards athletics. Of the $17 that each student pays to the athletic department, $12 will go towards paying back the Department of Academic Affairs. The remaining $5 will go towards raises for the athletics staff and other athletics expenditures. The remainder of the $34 increase will be split between health services, educational and recreational programs, and will go to the upkeep of the Plemmons Student Union. The student union will receive $4, educational and recreational programs will receive $5, and health services will receive $8 per student. When asked if the infirmary would return to 24-hour service, Blimling replied, “We’ve had to surrender service in order not to spend more money.” He said that there is not enough demand to keep the infirmary open after midnight. After general fees, there remains $150 in increases to students. The rest of the fees apply to students that live on campus and those that have meal plans. The yearly price for a regular double occupancy dorm room will increase from $1,860 to $1,960 per student. The price of the standard meal option will increase from $1,330 to $1,380. |
The total for tuition
and fees for North Carolina residents that live on campus and choose the
standard meal plan for the 1999-2000 academic year will be $5,269.
Out of state students will pay $12,539 for the year.
Fees include various other student activities and programs. These fees go to pay for services such as the textbook rental program, student transportation like the Appalcart and Mountaineer Escort, and paying off debts, which include Trivette dining hall and athletic facilities. This year, the total revenue available for Appalachian State is $178,059,623. Of that, 39 percent comes from state appropriations. The rest of the money has to come from elsewhere. Tuition and fees account for 13.55 percent of the revenue. Of the total ASU revenue, 41.89 percent is dedicated to instruction and research, while 31.55 percent is spent on auxiliary programs and entertainment, and 7.93 percent is spent on physical plant operations. There will be upcoming expenditures for the residence halls. One million dollars will be dedicated to installing sprinklers in some dormitories because of a new mandate requiring the sprinklers. Some dormitories require routine maintenance. The largest upcoming expenditure in the residence program is the new Living and Learning Center, which will cost $10,740,000 to build. It will house 320 Watauga College and University Honors students. It will be built on the current site of the Chancellor’s house. The Chancellor will have a new house built from private funds, such as alumni and donations. After the presentation of student fees, SGA went on to pass separate bills extending pool hours and setting the schedule for university elections. |