Letter to the Editor: USU class fees need more accountability

Dear Editor:

With the recent attention on student fees, I wish to bring to attention a similar but less discussed subject – class fees. Besides the $270 plus that I pay for student fees, I pay an additional $74 in fees for other classes. I am taking three business classes, a foreign language, and a depth humanities class – hardly an extravagant schedule. For example, I paid $15 for a required marketing class. The professor has graciously offered to supply us with a scantron on the test. I could have bought 100 scantrons for that price! Other classes provide a few handouts throughout the semester, but hardly enough to justify the outrageous fees that we have to pay.

With student fees, I can go on the Internet and find out where each dollar is going. But that is not the case with class fees. Utah State needs to undertake measures to increase transparency so we know where our money is going. Departments should be held responsible to make sure that money from class fees is used for the benefit of those who paid it – the students.

Erik Lindstrom