SGA asking for "minimal" increase in fees **IMPORTANT**

Light Speed1 · 10-22-2009, 07:17 PM

you will laugh at this

i logged on to my school account today and i was given a poll question from the SGA:

"Would you support a minimal increase in fees to pay down the debt of the new wellness center faster, allowing for the construction of a new student union?"

then I scroll down and read the detailed explanation:

Students pay $9.48 per credit hour for activities and services. These fees (which total more than $10 million dollars) are allocated by your SGA and fund the following: The Oglesby Union (Club Downunder, the Art Center, Crenshaw Lanes, concerts, late night programming), the Askew Student Life Center (movies, gaming, panel discussions), the Student Services Building (meeting space), Campus Recreation (intramurals, the Leach Center, the Reservation, Outdoor Pursuits, Aquatics), Homecoming, SGA Lecture Series, Eleven Agencies (AASU, AISU, BSU, CPE, HLSU, ICS, ILS, IRHC, JSU, Pride, Women’s Center), Off-Campus Housing Office, the SGA Movie Channel (movies in the residence halls), First Responders, V-89 radio station, Sports Clubs, hundreds of Recognized Student Organizations, the Congress of Graduate Students, and some costs for SAFE and Child Care.

10 dollars per credit hour. typical student takes 4-5 classes per semester at 3 credit hours each. in 1 year, that would amount to 8-10 classes, or 24-30 credit hours.

that means this "minimal fee" would amount to a whopping $240-300 per year. and its only to pay off their debt that they were to stupid to account for beforehand. To put that into perspective, that's equal to how much the tuition expenses are for 4 classes after bright futures 75% takes into account.

so we pay $300 more a year, meanwhile "sga administrative costs" on the proposal of 2010 are $120,000. ( http://sga.fsu.edu/Bill_Proviso/Bill...Allocation.xls ) i can name a few thousand people that would work for sga for free.

and that would only be one of many useless fees that we already pay.

etherdome · 10-22-2009, 07:28 PM

This is a personal decision. However, if I were a student at FSU, I would not object to a $300/yr increase. The Administrative costs of $120k is not much. Getting volunteers to work for the SGA is one thing, getting volunteers to be personally responsible for critical tasks is another thing.

My advice: pay it and volunteer.

Light Speed1 · 10-22-2009, 07:32 PM

why wouldnt you object? the majority of people who voted in the poll said no.
its to pay off debt so theres no direct benefit to students. theyre asking us to pay their bills. why wasnt this accounted for beforehand so there wouldnt be needs for increased fees?

they think the solution to everything is including a new small fee for every problem. we already pay environmental fees, travel fees, technology fees, etc.

i pay more in fees than tuition

Hurley · 10-22-2009, 08:06 PM

My education is expensive enough as it is. I voted no.

parent2noles · 10-22-2009, 09:08 PM

I agree with etherdome. Pay it and volunteer. Support the university.

etherdome · 10-23-2009, 11:35 AM

why wouldnt you object? the majority of people who voted in the poll said no.
its to pay off debt so theres no direct benefit to students. theyre asking us to pay their bills. why wasnt this accounted for beforehand so there wouldnt be needs for increased fees?

Of course there is direct benefit to students. The university has a budget that continues to tighten. They are legally obligated to pay their debts, so money that goes to paying the debt must come from money that would have been spent on other student services.

FSU could not have predicted how severely its endowment would be affected by these economic times. As a state school, its budget has been cut by a government that is seeing significant reductions in its tax base. FSU is not unique in its financial struggles. Nearly every school in the nation has had to slash services and increase fees and tuitions.

Even if you look at FSU's total cost as an OOS, you have to admit that it is cheap to study at FSU. An additional $300 is not a big deal, in the grand scheme of things.

The school is in a bind. The sooner every student understands that, the sooner the school can work itself out of this situation. So, once again, I suggest you pay the money and pitch in with any help FSU needs. In the long run, you will benefit greatly.

sunnyflorida · 10-24-2009, 08:46 AM

You get what you pay for. My guess is, you never use the services. But for students who use Thagard, the student health center, they know it is woefully inadequate. And the Leach, great but not big enough (anyone seen the student gym/workout facilities at UCF?). The new student wellness center is already in the planning stages, has been approved, and construction will start soon. It will be great. once it is completed. It will include student health, workout/fitness facilities, physical therapy facilities, classroom space, and areas for nursing students to observe and learn as part of their clinicals.

The sooner that project is paid for, the sooner they can build a new Student Union. You have to admit, the current Union it is....well....rather dated. And not very functional for the types of activities FSU promotes now. And the extra dining facilities with outside vendors could use some help.

I believe the increase is only $1.50 per credit hour more. If you utilize all that a university has to offer, you know that it is a bargain. When you look as student health and student recreation, when you see all the intramural fields and the REZ (ever been out to the Rez??) and Leach and Thagard, it is quite alot of bang for the buck.

You can look at the U as something to provide only an education. And you can look at the U to provide activities and space for your free time, your down time, your fitness time, and to be there when you get sick. The U is more than just an education. It is your life for four years.

Light Speed1 · 10-26-2009, 08:53 PM

sunny, first the fee was $9.48 per credit hour

this "minimal fee" amounts to $1200 over 4 years. more than my tuition.

next, i agree improvements can be made. tacking on fees instead of coming up with new sources isnt the answer. Most people voted no, so most agree.

etherdome · 10-27-2009, 07:03 AM

Light,

Am I reading this correctly? Are you saying that the additional fee of $1200 over four years is more than your tuition? If so, I am not sympathetic to your complaint. People pay more for their cell phones over four years.

What new sources are you referring to? Do you expect someone else to pay?

sunnyflorida · 10-27-2009, 08:24 AM

Yes, the current fee is under 10/hr, and for 120 hours is just under 1200 per four years. The additional $1.50 they are asking for would be an extra $180 over 4 years.

And yes etherdome, I agree. A cellphone bill of $30/mos for phone adding $20 unlimited data and $20 unlimited text (using the cheapest numbers possible) is $70/mos and $840 a year and $3300 per four years. I think what you get for the student activities fees IS A BARGAIN. But then again, my student uses the facilities.

For a barebones education, there are always the state colleges. The community colleges that offer 4 year degrees now continue to be more bang for the buck. But again, you get what you pay for.

The vote is just to gauge student opinion. The vote does not determine if the increase actually occurs.

cybermom · 10-27-2009, 08:42 AM

Students and parents are having sticker shock with the universities raising tuition, adding a tuition differential, adding additional fees and lowering the bright futures scholarship amounts. Soon Florida schools will no longer be the bargain they once were. Meanwhile in Florida...jobs are scarce, wages are low, housing values have dropped and taxes/fees/utilities are going up. It is no wonder students and parents are balking at paying additional fees in this current economic environment and possibly increasing their indebtedness after graduation.

I will say though that humans appreciate more something they had to work to pay for rather than something that is just handed to them. If you know you are paying for these facility enhancements, hopefully you will take advantage of using them to the max.

navarre1 · 10-27-2009, 09:56 AM

The Florida universities are raising tuition and fees at alarming rates..Also, they are stingy with merit scholarships. I am seeing more and more top students looking to leave the state for a cheaper education at quality universities.

etherdome · 10-27-2009, 10:17 AM

Let's face facts, even when the economy was good, the state of Florida could not be considered wealthy. The primary industry is still tourism. Because of this, the university system does not have a great deal of money. Improvements to the university require money. So, it comes down to this: who will pay for these improvements?

Surely the taxpayers must pay for the bulk. They are already do. The great bulk of money in the university system comes from the taxpayers. Other major sources come from donations. The people that donate money usually do not get direct benefits for their generosity. That leaves the students....the ones that will benefit the most from a strong university system.

The Florida state universities provide a very good educational opportunity at a reasonable cost to Florida residents. The fact that we are now in a major economic recession makes paying tuition harder than 10 years ago, but it is still very doable.

I don't want to sound like an old grouch, but I worked full time from 4pm to midnight while going to college (Ga Tech). A lot of people did. I didn't enjoy it, but it was my only opportunity to advance in life. That is why I bristle when I see someone complain that they have to pay $1200 over the course of four years. And, they admit that they don't pay that much in tuition!

Come on people, let's buck up a bit.

navarre1 · 10-27-2009, 10:26 AM

Why would it bother you that someone has it better than you did? I'm sure, even in your day, there were students that paid a lot less for their GA Tech education than you did. Are you mad at the rich kids whos mommy and daddy gave them everything and don't have any concern about what college cost?

lizard · 10-27-2009, 10:55 AM

Florida has the 2nd lowest average tuition fees of the 50 states in the US for attending a state university. Most undergraduates in Florida state universities receive Bright Futures merit scholarships. I don't think there is going to be a rush of Florida students leaving for colleges in other states to save money. I think the game plan for Florida universities though is to raise fees a little each year (15%?) until eventually reaching national average for tuition.

Nobody likes paying more, but it is inevitable. The federal government is increasing funding and providing additional relief for some college students now. As an example, this academic year for the first time the neediest college students that are eligible for Pell grants can receive money for summer semester 2010 in addition to previous caps for spring and fall semesters.