Increase in student activity fee under consideration

By: Melissa Caceres/News Director 

Students’ Activity & Service Fees may see an increase pending on deliberations.

The University Activity & Service Fee committee held two public hearings on both the Modesto Maidique and Biscayne Bay Campuses to listen to the concerns and opinions of students and faculty regarding the proposed increase in the A&S fee this year.

At the Feb. 23 hearing at MMC, several organization leaders pushed for the increase in order to expand their programs while a few students were hesitant to show their support if the money didn’t go to areas that they preferred.

“If we do not get the A&S increase, we’ll continue to operate,” said Larry Lunsford, associate vice president of Student Affairs. “But as we gain 2,000 more students each year, we can’t continue to serve them and fund programs for them.”

The A&S fee, one of three fees that students pay for along with their tuition, is used to fund around 60 student organizations and facilities on campus. The committee that will decide the increase is comprised of four faculty members and the presidents and comptrollers from the Student Government Council at Modesto Maidique Campus and Student Government Council at Biscayne Bay Campus.

The increase percentage could be as low as 1 percent; each students’ A&S fee would raise by 50 cents per credit hour which would equal to $958,000 in more funds. The highest level would be 5 percent; each student’s fee would increase by $1.81 per credit hour to make around $2.4 million.

“We should push for a five percent increase as much as possible because every year in Campus Life, we’re pushing the envelope by doing as best as we can with the budget that we’re given,” said Natalia Lopez, SGC-MMC public relations coordinator. “If it increases, that can bring bigger events and bigger names [to perform on campus].”

The Center for Leadership and Service, Multicultural Programs & Services and Homecoming would be the University-wide organizations first considered to receive additional funding, according to Patrick O’Keefe, SGC-MMC president.

Several directors of campus organizations emphasized that the increase would benefit entertainment events like Homecoming, the inner workings of many structures and departments at the University, and the programs that develop leadership among students.

Ruth Hamilton, executive director of the Graham Center, told the audience that the fee helps the student centers continue to provide services and job experience for students.

“[The] fee has very intentional purposes and provides direct services to the students,” said Hamilton, who added that the facilities get their main funding from A&S fees.

Others felt that events on campus are less of a priority than other areas of funding.

“How can we make it so that the money doesn’t go to campus involvement activities?” said sophomore information technology and communications major, Christopher Knowles. “I know they’re supposed to be good for recruitment, but as a student, I don’t see their worth.”

In response, Bill Beesting, A&S fee committee chair and associate dean of undergraduate education, said that student government representatives would be the ones to pressure for moves like that because “that’s how the democratic process works.”

Angie Luna, a junior majoring in biology, asked a number of questions to the committee and urged the members of the hearing to stop trying to use its funds to try to measure up to other institutions by getting the biggest speakers and building expensive facilities.

“We have to realize that we’re not UM and we shouldn’t want to be like UM,” said Luna. “I came here not to gain any sort of status and to say I met Lupe Fiasco at a concert. I came here because I wanted to learn.”

O’Keefe was another among the individuals at the hearing who said he is opposed to any kind of fee increase.

“I don’t think that now is the time,” said O’Keefe. “Right now, I think we can suffice with what we have.”

Others didn’t feel the same way.

“If we feel like we’re okay now with the budget, what’s going to happen in three years when we grow to around 60,000 students?” said Robert Jaross, director of Student Media.

This week, the budgets for campus-specific organizations will be deliberated and considered for the additional A&S funds. Also, the committee will come to a decision this week as to whether the A&S fee will increase and if so, by what percentage.