USU fee board hears first proposals for increased fees
The 2017 Utah State University Fee Board (USUFB) held its initial meeting Wednesday, hearing and discussing three fee proposals that will be voted on in subsequent meetings.
By the end of next Wednesday, the USUFB will have heard five proposals, four of which are requesting fee increases. The other was prepared by USU’s Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), which is asking for a separate fee to be created to support its office.
James Davis, the director of USU’s Student Health and Wellness Center, was the first to propose a fee increase. Citing unexpected expenses due to equipment failure, difficulty with obtaining reimbursements from insurance companies and maintaining professional staff at the center, Davis bid for a $2.25 fee increase.
It is the second year in a row Davis has come before the USUFB with a proposal for an increase. Last year, only a portion of Davis’ requested fee increase was approved.
Members of the fee board were split in their opinions on the proposed fee increase for the center.
Utah State University Student Association (USUSA) president Ashley Waddoups said she was “firmly in favor of the full proposal,” lauding the services the center provides for students.
In contrast to Waddoups and others, USU’s graduate studies senator Ty Aller opposed the fee increase.
Aller argued increasing the fee served as a disincentive for those in the center whose job it is to collect reimbursements from insurance companies. At present, the proposal “feels premature,” Aller said, adding that he “feels comfortable revisiting it next year.”
If denied the fee increase, Davis said he will likely work to eliminate the center’s pharmacy. Doing so, he argued, would save money and have little effect on students. Health and wellness staff already send students elsewhere for prescriptions because prices are generally lower at other pharmacies than at the center, Davis said.
He also argued doing away with the pharmacy would allow the center to keep patient wait-times low and retain staff members like psychiatrist Dr. Brian Merrill, who — considering the center’s top two diagnoses are depression and anxiety — is an asset to the wellbeing of USU’s student body.
“I would take time off and donate my pay before getting rid of [Merrill],” Davis said.
Following Davis, James Nye of USU’s Parking and Transportation Services bid for a 33-cent fee increase which, if approved, he plans to put toward a 25-cent wage increase for Aggie Shuttle drivers.
“We would like to provide them with a competitive wage,” Nye said.
Nye said retaining shuttle drivers had been a struggle in the past. He hopes the increase would serve as an incentive for employees to continue working with Parking and Transportation Services.
Some USUFB members saw the potential increase as something with little-to-no power as an incentive.
“I don’t think a 25-cent increase is going to mean anything,” Aller said. “I don’t really think it’s going to fix the problem.”
Multiple others, however, felt the increase could serve as a way for the university to indicate it values its shuttle drivers and their work.
“Although the 25-cent increase might not be a significant amount of money to cause someone to stay here, I’m glad they’re reaching out to those individuals,” said Matthew Clewett, the USUSA student advocate vice president.
Staff from USU’s Merrill-Cazier Library delivered the final proposal of the evening, requesting a $6 fee increase.
A majority of the fee would go toward funding access to academic journals and databases — $3.50, to be exact — said Kevin Brewer, who heads the library’s materials and acquisitions department.
Of the remaining amount, $1 would be allocated toward library technology, $1 toward access to video streaming and 50 cents toward open educational resources, Brewer said.
The portion Brewer said would go toward accessing academic journals and databases was a point of focus in the board’s discussion, considering it could have a large effect on the ability of students and faculty to conduct research.
“This has a lot to do with what our university is about,” said business senator Nadir Tekarli. “This will affect every single student. This will affect every aspect of why this university was established and what this university is for.”
Aller supported Tekarli’s point.
“I do not know a graduate student who does not use the databases. It’s kind of a ‘fork out the money or lose access [situation],’” he said.
The portion of the request concerning access to video streaming served as a source of confusion for some on the board. Specifically, Waddoups said she was “concerned about the streaming section of the fee.”
The USUFB will hear the remaining two proposals from CAPS and the athletics department on Wednesday. The board will vote on whether to approve the five proposals on Jan. 25.
Fee board meetings are held at 5 p.m. in the Taggart Student Center’s senate chambers, and students are welcome to attend.
— jordan.floyd@aggiemail.usu.edu
Photo by Megan Nielsen