Fees group bolts out of gate

The student fee audit committee dove right into the tangled web of student fees in its first meeting of the semester Monday night.

The committee will root through several different proposals for the 2006-07 academic year and will present its recommendations to the Chancellor's Committee on Student Fees later this semester.

In its first action, the committee, led by Daneen Furr, student body treasurer, approved a proposal that will increase the education fee by $4.

The fee supports hundreds of sub-fees, including computer labs, curriculum fees, hardware and software.

Barron Matherly, assistant provost for finance, said the education fee could have easily been proposed for a $30 to $40 increase, but tuition increases have kept the finance department from requesting the hike.

"When we get off the tuition-rise bandwagon, we'll raise our proposal," Matherly said. "(Provost Robert Shelton) feels tuition is too high to hit students with higher fees."

He said the $4 increase will raise education funds by $94,000, bringing the total to $4.15 million.

"Keeping pace with technology is costly," he said.

"Please keep in mind this fee could be a lot more than we're proposing."

The fee goes hand in hand with the technology fee, proposed with a $48 increase, that will be discussed later this semester.

Last year, the University's Board of Trustees approved a last-minute proposal to raise the athletic fee by $150 during a two-year period - a decision later overruled by the UNC Board of Governors.

Student leaders said they are worried about the pressure that would be put on students by raising fees at least $100 - especially in light of a possible tuition increase.

Student Body President Seth Dearmin, a member of the committee, said that while it is too early to decide where he will focus on fees, he does intend to take a close look at the proposals as they come up in the next few weeks.

"It's too early in the game to tell," he said.

Dearmin also said that approvals and disapprovals will occur throughout October and into November.

The committee will meet again at 6 p.m. Monday to continue deliberations on all fee proposals.

 

Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.