Additional fees proposed in meeting
Four student fee increases were proposed at an open-door Student Fee Board meeting Jan. 19.
USU Athletics, Aggie Radio, Campus Recreation and the computer science department presented fee proposals.
USU Athletic Director Scott Barnes proposed a 5 percent increase of student athletic fees to continue to promote Aggie sports on the Division-I level. Barnes said reasons for the increase include a possible future in the Mountain West Athletic Conference, new NCAA policies and cost of living increases.
“If we are going to be relevant, if we are going to be competitive … we need this,” Barnes said.
“We don’t want to be Southern Utah, we don’t want to be Weber State,” Barnes said. “That’s not who we are, that’s not what this institution is about. As a land-grant, state flagship school … we have got to do this.”
Aggie Radio manager Jordan Allred also proposed a fee increase.
Allred said a 75-cent student fee would contribute to improved equipment, which would also be available to campus organizations. The increase would also provide funding for the station’s future plans to broadcast on a Cache Valley FM frequency and pay personnel costs, he said.
“In 2007 the FCC closed registration for new FM licenses to prevent overcrowding, thus Aggie Radio has never had the opportunity to secure an FM license,” Allred said. “However, the FCC has indicated that within the next few years, a new licensing window will open and we’re projecting we can be ready for that in fall of 2014.”
Allred said Aggie Radio’s activities and support of campus organizations are evidence of funds well spent.
The highest proposed increase came from Campus Recreation Director Kevin Kobe. If approved, the fee would begin next fall at $30 and rise to $75 in 2015.
Kobe said he advocates the construction of a new athletic facility and surrounding athletic fields to replace and supplement aging and undersized facilities.
The projects are tentatively called the Aggie Recreation Center (ARC) and Aggie Legacy fields.
“It would improve everything for much-needed recreation. Everyone knows how important it is to stay physically active,” Kobe said.
He said the facilities would be used for indoor and outdoor recreation, and intramural sports would have increased capacity with the new fields and indoor playing space.
“We are really behind with recreational facilities here at Utah State,” Kobe said.
The ARC would include a swimming pool, indoor track, weight room, basketball courts and possibly a health-food cafe, Kobe said. The facilities would also be a recruiting point and a place for students to interact, he added.
“When students have the opportunity to basically interact with each other on a regular basis … that leads to higher academic success,” Kobe said.
Don Cooley of the computer science department proposed a $4 fee increase to implement a lab-based computer testing system.
Cooley said computer lab testing facilities may provide much more flexibility in scheduling, give more resources for professors and less stress to students.
“The test itself can be given over a multi-day period,” Cooley said. “The system, as we’ve proposed to set it up, will allow the students to actually schedule the time that they’re going to take the test.”
Cooley said students could also reschedule missed tests within a set test period determined by instructors.
The system is attractive to professors and students alike, he said, and is more sustainable than a paper-based system.
Christian Orr, a student-at-large member of the Student Fee Board, said the diversity on the board should provide positive results that reflect student interests.
“I think that we’ve got a good diversity here on the board to represent campus,” Orr said.
Orr said board members don’t already have their minds made up before proposals are made to the Student Fee Board.
“I think that’s a common fear with a lot of students on campus — that decisions are already made here, that USU or the Student Involvement office are just going to do their own thing,” Orr said. “While they don’t see or hear everything that goes on here, we do make a difference.”
The board will vote on proposals Thursday, Jan. 26.
-ross.nelson@aggiemail.usu.edu