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On Monday, the university will address the Idaho State Board of Education in Boise about the 7.9 percent student fee increase proposed for the 2008-09 school year.
For the past two years, fee increase proposals made by the university have not been approved by the Board, but Lloyd Mues, the vice president of finance and administration, is optimistic about this year.
“I can defend this proposal to the teeth,” he said. “If I get them to understand what we’re doing here and why we’re doing it, I think they’ll approve it.”
Last year the proposal given to the Board was a 5.95 percent increase that was cut to a 5 percent increase. For 2006-07, the proposal was cut from 9.5 to 5.85 percent. The 5.95 percent request last year was the fourth lowest proposal made in the past 20 years.
ASUI President Jon Gaffney said that university budgets have not been strong in the last few years and sees this increase as a necessity.
“No one wants to pay more student fees,” Gaffney said. “But if the legislators don’t provide funding at a rate proportional to cost increases, it’s either pay the fees or start cutting degrees.”
According to Mues, if the fee increase doesn’t go through, the university will have to look at where the school can afford to make cuts. The fee increase being proposed is the largest in the state but according to Mues, it’s unavoidable.
“Everyone wants to know what happened,” Mues said. “Do you pay the same for gas as you did last year? Do you pay the same for food? … Prices have skyrocketed.”
Currently, 16 percent of the university’s total revenue comes from students, the proposed increases won’t change that. Full-time, in-state undergrauate students pay $2,205 a semester in fees. The proposed increase would amount to about $350 more per year.
Student fees are made up of four parts: student activities, student technology, matriculation and facilities.
Activity fees pay for student services; technology supports the computer labs; facilities fees pay for maintenance; and matriculation funds the basic operation of the university, such as paying for heat and lights. In the past, the university has cut back from the matriculation fee and it can’t afford to that anymore, Gaffney said.
“Student fees have allowed us to have things like the OMA and the Women’s Center. Now we need them for something even bigger … we need them to keep the school going,” he said.
Elected university representatives formulated the fee increase. Three ASUI officials, a GPSA member and a spokesperson from the Student Bar Association made up the students who reviewed 17 presentations given by different groups on campus all seeking funding in January. In the end only half of the requests were approved.
Gaffney was a member of the board that created the proposal. He said fees are the student part in keeping the university running.
Mues called the student proposal as “a mature response, one with great merit.” It was approved by both him and President Tim White. The final decision of the SBOE will be announced Monday afternoon.
“The important thing to remember is that according to law, this school has to end in the black … so if we can’t get the funding this way we’ll have to make cuts,” Mues said. “You can either raise more money, receive more money or cut programs.”
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