Spring Break
Budget cuts require added fee for spring
HAYLEY PETERSON
Issue date: 12/4/08 Section: News
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A University-wide e-mail was sent to students Wednesday night to explain the action and that the fee would be assessed to student accounts on Dec. 12 as a "special spring semester fee." The fee must be paid by Jan. 22 to avoid spring semester schedule cancellation.
Students will pay out of pocket, as the HOPE scholarship will not cover the fee.
Also included in the plan are more maintenance deferrals, and the University will contribute 5 percent less to employee PPO and HMO health plans.
As a result, employees enrolled in these plans will pay higher premiums ranging from $17 to $65 a month.
Student Government Association President Connor McCarthy, who attended the teleconference with about 30 students from the University and Georgia Tech, said the regents agreed to "increase communication to make sure there are 48 hours of discussion" prior to future fee raise decisions.
Regents were not welcoming to the students' input, said Christie Haynes, SGA external affairs co-chair. Haynes said the regents told SGA in August no fee would be added unless the budget cuts reached 10 percent, which is why the SGA had not yet acted.
"Our biggest problem was not the fee," she said. "We know there's a budget problem ... We probably would have been an advocate for this [if notified sooner], but they thought they would sneak it under without students noticing. [Regents] said this issue was tabled ... they lied to our face."
McCarthy said the regents waived the 704 policy - which requires 50 percent student input in institutional requests for mandatory fees - on grounds the request was made at the regents' level.
"The spirit behind that policy was defeated in having them waive it," McCarthy said.
The required student fee varies across all institutions in the University System of Georgia - $100 for research institutions, $75 for comprehensive universities and $50 for two-year colleges.
The difference in fees accounts for the varying operating costs of the individual schools, Millsaps said. The fee dollars will remain at each institution to be used wherever that administration decides it is needed most.
"We try to do things that have a minimal impact on the classroom," Millsaps said.
Viewing Comments 1 - 10 of 23
Laura
posted 12/04/08 @ 5:10 AM EST
I take no issue with the fees, but only if it means they will fix all the cutbacks in library services and hours (and other such education cutbacks).. (Continued…)
WTF
posted 12/04/08 @ 6:17 AM EST
I still don't get why I have to pay an extra $100 that I can't afford when Michael Adams is making $561,903.00.
Source: https://www.audits.state.ga. (Continued…)
kell
posted 12/04/08 @ 8:50 AM EST
So when my prof doesn't show up for class because they're at an out of country conference giving a speech for which they are paid...who is going to pay me back for that missed learning opportunity?
Michael Prochaska
posted 12/04/08 @ 9:28 AM EST
his is not about the $100. Who cares, it's just $100; in the long run, it's really not that much.
What I have a problem with is the prinicible of the matter. (Continued…)
Q
posted 12/04/08 @ 9:42 AM EST
So far the comments have all raised good points that the R&B haven't.
Jennifer
posted 12/04/08 @ 11:43 AM EST
I agree with the previous comments. Personally, $100 is a lot of money to me, and if this "special fee" is so necessary, I would really appreciate knowing what it will be used towards. (Continued…)
CoastalDawg
posted 12/04/08 @ 12:09 PM EST
The actions of the Board of Regents in suspending their own "rules" is another example of why we on the whole distrust government. Particularly after having stated that there would be no extra fee, why not just be up front and honest and have input from students and explain the need rather than just making the assessment and threatening to cancel a student's schedule if the fee isn't paid by a given date? Our ideal of government of, for, and by the people has been thrown out the window. (Continued…)
Fact Check
posted 12/04/08 @ 12:46 PM EST
It sounds like the Board of Regents is asking for a bailout from the students. I suggest that we demand the same terms as Congress: $1/yr salaries for the CEOs/Regents :-)
a parent
posted 12/04/08 @ 1:21 PM EST
WANT TO COMPLAIN? Make a difference by flooding the Board of Regents contact site at http://www.usg.edu/contact/
Let them know how you feel about students bailing out the University system while grand building projects continue full speed ahead. (Continued…)
Michael
posted 12/04/08 @ 3:53 PM EST
We cannot allow the Board to force this "special" but mandatory fee upon us. If they see that the students who attend the universities across the state of GA go along with this fee, then it opens up the door for more "special" fees. (Continued…)
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