Students want clarity about fees

Student leaders and UNC-system officials hope to clarify student fee policies after a series of hikes at most universities, but some say now is not the time to tackle the issue.

The UNC-system Board of Governors decided last year to create a policy encouraging schools to propose fee increases every two years instead of every year.

During off years, schools can initiate inflationary fee increases without having to go through a normal review process. Leaders hoped the move would stave off proposals for larger hikes during those years.

But 15 schools, including UNC-Chapel Hill, received approval for much larger fee hikes this year, creating confusion as to where the policy stands.

The issue was brought up last week at meetings of the board’s Budget and Finance Committee and during a gathering of student leaders from the system’s Association of Student Governments.

ASG president Amanda Devore said it’s important to clarify the policy so students and officials have a solid idea of what to expect. She and other students were under the impression that 2004-05 would be an off year.

“I think what students want is to know ahead of time what the process will be,” she said.

Budget and Finance Committee member Hannah Gage said she would welcome discussion on the issue. “We spend an enormous amount of time on tuition and fees, and I think what we’re all looking for is a better way of doing it,” Gage said.

Some officials are concerned that an every-other-year policy would leave students out of the process.

“You are really starting with nothing and with no educated student input if you do it on an every-other-year basis,” UNC-CH Student Body President Matt Calabria said during Friday’s ASG meeting.

“The yearly process really allows the university policy, at least in the case of Chapel Hill, to be responsive to our needs and our wants and our interests.”

BOG member Bill Burns, said fees should be considered alongside tuition in order to see the whole picture. He said both fall on the backs of students, so it’s hard to separate the two.

Board Chairman Brad Wilson said the fee policy is not at the top of the agenda, but members might be looking at it soon.

Ray Farris, a Budget and Finance Committee member, said that the every-other-year policy is preferable but that the board should remain flexible. Unexpected changes can create a need for fee hikes, he said.

“I don’t think we have a consistent policy regarding tuition, and I don’t want to lock us in on something right now that is not thoughtful,” he said.

Given that the fee policy adopted last year didn’t seem to affect schools’ proposals, the board should take a step back, he said. “We did make that decision and we didn’t follow it, and I don’t think we want to get into it again.”

Assistant State & National Editor Eric Johnson contributed to this article.

Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.