BOG May Hear ASG Plan for $1 Student Fee Hike

The UNC-system Board of Governors could consider a request this week from the UNC-system Association of Student Governments to increase student fees by $1 at each of the 16 system campuses.

The BOG Budget and Finance Committee must approve the request before it is presented to the full board. ASG President Andrew Payne said Monday that he was not sure whether the increase would be presented to the committee today or at its Wednesday meeting.

Payne said he expects the committee to react favorably to the request because it has strong student support. He added that he thinks the proposal is reasonable.

"It's very simple," he said. "The students want it. It's a dollar and will put us on par with other student organizations across the country."

The fee increase would raise the ASG budget to about $160,000. The ASG's budget for this year is about $2,500.

The ASG is currently funded by dues from each of the 16 UNC-system campuses.

ASG representatives have said funding from the fee increase would build an operating budget for the ASG and would help delegates mount statewide campaigns in support of students and assist with travel expenses. The money also would pay for several full-time staff members to help improve continuity from one ASG administration to the next.

Payne said the BOG should look at the increase as an opportunity to join forces with students. "The board will see that it's a great partnership with the students of North Carolina," he said.

If passed, the $1 fee will be the first systemwide student fee increase approved by the BOG.

But BOG member Jim Phillips, who is a member of the Budget and Finance Committee, said he is not sure whether the committee will react favorably to the ASG's request. He said he needed more information before he could properly consider the resolution. "I haven't talked to (Payne) yet," Phillips said. "And I don't want to say anything until I've talked with him about it."

But Payne said he hopes the increase passes because it would heighten the power of UNC-system students.

"I think the student voice in the state isn't fully heard," he said. "(The expanded budget) will empower the students."

Staff Writer Emma Burgin contributed to this story.

The State & National Editor can be reached at stntdesk@unc.edu.