USU/SA: Exec. Council raises some scholarships with Tier II tuition
The USU Student Association Executive Council passed a resolution Tuesday recommending an increase in Tier II tuition by 29 percent to increase scholarships for the USU Spirit Squad and Utah Statesman as well as secure scholarships for student government positions.
USU/SA President Doug Fiefia said the student involvement office received a memo in March 2013 that stated current monies funding scholarships will be reviewed and aren’t promised in the future.
Scholarship funding for USU/SA student officer positions, Spirit Squad members and the Utah Statesman editors and assistant editors currently comes from a combination of student fees and USU President Stan Albrecht’s discretionary fund.
“In order for these programs to stay financially solvent and to continue scholarships for the students who are representative of the university, there needs to be an increase and secure funding,” the legislation states.
The resolution moves the money from its current funding source to strictly student fees and Tier II tuition.
According to the Utah System of Higher Education website, Tier II tuition is based on a recommendation by the institution’s president and board of trustees and is added to the first tier of tuition set by the Utah Legislature.
Student Advocate Vice President Daryn Frischknecht, who sponsored the bill, said the money will now come from a more reliable source.
“We’re just securing those monies and scholarships and giving those increases to the much-needed Spirit Squad and Statesman,” she said.
The resolution gives exactly $149,159 to the Office of Student Involvement for those scholarships.
The recommendation still needs to be passed by Albrecht, the USU Board of Trustees and the Utah Board of Regents, but there was no discussion on the legislation during the Executive Council’s public meeting except during an executive session.
Fiefia said the Tier II tuition ad hoc committee has been discussing the resolution for two weeks and said the Executive Council members had already discussed the issues.
The council voted to pass the resolution through a first and second reading and voted in favor of recommending it to Albrecht.
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Twitter: @daniellekmanley