USU student fee board approves 2005-06 fees
The student fee board approved a $10.25 raise in student fees Thursday morning, to be implemented next fall, in an effort to provide students with better services. The raise must still be approved by USU President Stan Albrecht and the Executive Committee.
Juan Franco, vice president for student services, cautioned the rest of the board to be careful when looking to increase fees.
“I’m concerned we’re putting too much on the backs of the students,” Franco said. “Let’s keep in mind the big picture.”
Legal counsel and state lobbyist
Two of the fee increases were recommended to the board by the Associated Students of Utah State University Executive Council. According to the proposal, each student will now pay $1.75 per semester that will be used to hire a full-time attorney for the university. Another 25 cents per student will be used to hire a full-time lobbyist, in cooperation with other universities, to work on behalf of all 12 of Utah’s institutions of higher learning.
“The overall goal of student fees is to provide services students can’t pay for on their own,” said Les Essig, ASUSU president at the executive council meeting Tuesday night. Currently, USU’s legal consultants cannot represent students in court and Essig argues the majority of students aren’t able to afford their own counsel.
“I think it will be used heavily,” Essig said for the need of full-time legal representatives at USU. Most peer institutions employ two full-time representatives, he said.
Essig said the need for a full-time attorney on campus became especially apparent in the recent booting case. Craig Simper, chief of staff and university counsel, did not read the case, he said.
“I was incredibly disappointed,” Essig said. “I think that’s perfect representation of where we’re at with [support].”
There were doubts expressed both at the student fee board meeting as well as at the ASUSU Executive Council meeting whether or not the attorneys would be utilized enough to justify the increase in fees. Essig said the attorney can be used to represent students for everything from landlord/tenant issues to criminal charges.
The full-time lobbyist hired through the Utah Student Association will be the first in state history and has the potential to change the state Legislature’s attitude and actions towards state colleges and universities, Essig said.
“I think the biggest issue on student’s heads is what is going on with tuition,” Essig said.
The motions passed 11-1.
The student fee board consists of 10 members of the ASUSU Executive Council, five students at-large and Vice President of Student Services Juan Franco. Alyssa “Al” Lambert, student ombudsman chairs the board. Several members of the board were absent at the time of the vote due to personal and medical emergencies, she said.
Health and Wellness Center
A $4 increase in the amount of student fees allocated to the Student Health and Wellness Center was also approved by the student fee board.
“We are above average with our peers in the care we give, and we want to stay that way,” A.J. Rounds, graduate studies vice president said. Rounds said the part-time psychiatrist at the Health and Wellness Center is booked three weeks in advance, just one example of how heavily utilized the center is.
Jim Davis, director of the Health and Wellness Center, made the request to the board Tuesday and said the increase is badly needed. More funds are needed to extend the hours the center is open and bring the center up to state and national standards.
Currently, employees are required to buy their own uniforms and pay for their own training, both violations of OSHA standards.
Davis said the increase is not needed to pay off debt, but to head off debt that may be incurred by a decrease in fee money due to dropping enrollment.
“We feel confident we’re spending money wisely,” he said. Also, Davis said, the center has no capital expense fund and the need for new equipment has “been chipping away that margin since the time of our last fee increase.”
Parking and Transportation
Originally requesting over a $6 increase, the board approved a $3 raise in the Aggie Shuttle fee. The increase is expected to carry the organization through another three years.
The fee increase will be used to hire a new mechanic in an effort to keep more buses running simultaneously.
Alden Erickson, Aggie Shuttle director, said industry standards recommend one mechanic for every three buses, but currently Aggie Shuttle only employs one mechanic for all 10 of its buses.
“The man is simply overwhelmed,” he said.
Essig said he supported the increase saying most of the complaints he receives from students have to do with the Aggie Shuttle system.
“We don’t want students standing out in the cold,” he said.
“I really think this is something the students want,” Jake Bonham, natural resources senator said.
Campus recreation
Rejecting a $6.50 proposal to increase the current $25 campus recreation fee, the fee board approved a $1 increase.
“This proposal is way overboard,” Erin Forsgren said. “Club sports are exactly that – it’s not like they are bringing any revenue to the school.”
Kevin Kobe presented the proposal to the board citing the large numbers of student use and the inability to pay student employees competitive wages as reasons for the increase.
“We have over 1,000,000 uses every year,” he said. “Our $25 fee is $20 below the average [of peer institutions.]”
Kobe said more than 100 percent of the amount of funding allocated to the fitness center go directly back to paying student employees.
Jimi Jorgensen, athletics vice president, said needs should be evaluated over wants when looking at the proposal and said he found the original proposal excessive.
Campus recreation funds campus recreation facilities, the Outdoor Recreation Center, intramurals, club sports and the Utah Conservation Corps.
Statesman
Jay Wamsley, adviser of student publications, requested a .50 increase in study body fees to update the Utah Statesman’s computers and accounting system.
“We have some problematic Macs,” he said, ” and our accounting system is no longer being supported by the people we bought it from.”
The student fee accounts for 8-11 percent of the Statesman’s total budget, Wamsley said.
Brandon Halford, HASS senator, moved to amend the proposal to 15 cents, but the final proposal passed with consensus of increasing the Statesman fee to 25 cents per student.
-bnelson@cc.usu.edu
-kcashton@cc.usu.edu