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The Battalion • Page 3
Student Fees
What are we paying for?
LABORATORY FEE
All students taking labs pay a
fee ranging from $2-30 for each
laboratory course per semester.
This pays for the equipment
and facilities used during labs.
HEALTH CENTER FEE
All students must pay this
$25 fee for operating,
maintaining and equipping
A.P. Beutel Health Center.
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Health Center Fee
Student Center Complex Fee
Computer Access Fee
International Education Fee
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COMPUTER ACCESS FEE
All students pay $5 per credit
hour to pay for maintenance and
expansion of academic comput
ing facilities on campus.
By Amber Clark
and Amy Collier
The Battalion
U pon registering for classes, students are of
ten overwhelmed by the long list of fees ap
pearing on their fee statements. Current
increases approved by the Board of Re
gents and the state legislature may add to
this confusion, and students may complain they do
not know where their money is going. The following
is a breakdown of student fees and where our mon
ey goes.
Tuition
Currently, residents of Texas are charged $28 for
each credit hour they take. Non-residents are
charged $171 per credit hour.
Dr. Jerry Gaston, executive vice president of fi
nance and administration, said the state legislature
decided to increase the tuition to $30 per credit hour
several years ago. Gaston said the tuition for non
residents will be $176 per credit hour. This was de
cided by a University Coordinating Board under the
state legislature. Graduate students will pay $60
per credit hour.
Although tuition is increasing, Gaston said col
lege students in Texas are fortunate.
“The state of Texas has about the lowest tuition
in the country,” he said.
Terra Philby, a senior geography major, said she
does not agree with the increased prices.
“I am very unhappy with the increase in out-of-
state tuition,” Philby said. “There is no reason stat
ed as to why they are increasing tuition, except that
we must be competitive with other universities.”
Some student leaders feel they tuition increase is
fair.
Toby Boenig, student body president, said he
hopes the legislature will continue to place impor
tance on the future of higher education and the in
crease will help to improve our education.
“Of course, as a student, I’m not happy about it,”
Boenig said. “But it’s important that they (the legis
lature) fund us because we are the future of Texas.”
Jeb Jones, a senior economics major, was a stu
dent senator for the past two years, and said he be
lieves the increase in tuition is reasonable for a good
education.
“I think we have to realize that Texas is a very
inexpensive place to get a very good education,”
Jones said. “We’ll still be considered one of the best
buys. We really are getting a deal.”
Computer Access Fee
All students pay $5 per credit hour to pay for
maintenance and expansion of academic computing
facilities on campus.
Mary Anne Kornegy, who works with A&M’s
Computing Information Systems, said only 20,000
students use the computer services that are avail
able.
INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION
FEE
This $1 fee is to support internation
al education and related activities,
such as the Study Abroad program.
The students that choose to use the computers
have access to a variety of computer programs,
printers and computer labs around campus, she
said.
“In general, they get access to any of the main
frame computers on campus with that fee,” Kornegy
said.
Student Services Fee
Students are charged $8.25 per credit hour, with
the maximum fee of $99 each semester.
Dr. Bill Kibler, assistant vice president of stu
dent affairs, said the majority of the budget of stu
dent service fees goes to programs in the Memorial
Student Center, recreational sports, the student
counseling services and the health center.
A smaller amount of the budget goes to a variety
of other things on campus as well, Kibler said.
“We have a list of 24 different offices, depart
ments or programs that are funded by student ser
vice fees,” Kibler said.
The fee allows students to get free copies of The
Battalion and reduced admission to many MSG pro
grams. It also allows the services of the student le
gal adviser, the MSG, Student Counseling Service,
Student Activities and the Department of Recre
ational Sports.
Kibler said there is a student proposal to in
crease student service fees by $9.
Kibler said the increase is necessary to pay for
growing operating expenses each recipient faces.
“The majority of the recipients will receive in
creases,” Kibler said.
T A?. Rayburn, vice president of public relations of
the MSG, said she thinks the increase is fair be
cause the services the MSG provides directly benefit
students.
“I don’t like fee increases, but I think this will be
beneficial,” Rayburn said. “The MSG offers quality
programs that students can benefit from.”
Besides covering programs in the MSG, Rayburn
said other services the fee covers benefit students as
well, and will only improve with an added budget.
General Use Fee
Students are charged $12 per hour to cover ex
penses the University has for expansion, air condi
tioning and rehabilitation of facilities.
“It doesn’t have to be devoted to buildings, but
that’s what we’ve done,” Gaston said.
Health Center Fee
All students must pay this $25 fee for operating,
maintaining and equipping A.P. Beutel Health Cen
ter. It entitles students to use many of its services
for free, not including surgical operations or charges
for consultations with outside physicians requested
by parents.
Dr. Kenneth R. Dirks, director of the Depart
ment of Student Health Services, said this $25 fee is
a reasonable price for what the health center pro
vides.
“One visit downtown is $45 and up for an initial
TUITION
Currently, residents of Texas are
charged $28 for each credit hour
they take. Non-residents are
charged $171 per credit hour.
visit,” Dirks said. “I think this is the best bargain in
health care in the country.”
The fee covers lab work, X-rays and EMS ambu
lance service. It also covers special programs for
physical therapy and nutritional counseling, includ
ing weight control and diet programs.
Students are entitled to consultations with ortho
pedic specialists, general surgeons, urologists and
ear, nose and throat specialists. They can also re
ceive routine gynecology work and limited psychi
atric treatment.
Dirks said the center is presently establishing a
women’s clinic to be operated Monday through Fri
day. Currently, gynecological work is only provided
two hours a week.
For the past six years, $15 of the student services
fee has been contributed to the A.P. Beutel Health
Center. With the approval of a referendum in stu
dent body elections, this money will be added to the
Health Center Fee instead.
The state legislature has placed a $25 cap on the
amount a student pays for health services. With
student approval of the referendum, the legislature
must vote to raise the cap to $40 in May. This new
cap includes the original $25 fee plus the $15 trans
fer from the Student Services fee.
“I think it (the transfer) was a recognition by the
student government that there was more money
needed for the health center,” Dirks said. “The cur
rent fees should be enough to take care of health
services for the coming year.”
Owen Ross, former president of the Residence
Hall Association, said the transfer is necessary and
benefits the students.
“The transfer gives students a better knowledge
of where their money is going,” Ross said. “Now
they can see that they’re really paying $40 for ser
vices instead of $25. I think this might actually en
courage them to go since they’re paying the money.”
Student Center Complex Fee
This $24 fee is required of all students for main
taining, improving and equipping the Student Cen
ter Complex.
Kibler said the Student Center Complex is com
prised of the Rudder complex. Rudder Tower, the
MSG and the Koldus Building.
The fee pays for the maintenance and renova
tions of these four buildings, Kibler said.
Kibler said this fee is not to be confused with the
student services fee, which is purely to fund activi
ties on campus.
International Education Fee
This $1 fee is to support international education
and related activities, such as the Study Abroad
program.
“It is to provide scholarships to our international
activities,” Gaston said.
Laboratory Fees
All students taking labs pay a fee ranging from
$2-30 for each laboratory course per semester. This
STUDENT SERVICE FEE
Students are charged $8.25 per
credit hour, with the maximum
fee of $99 each semester.
GENERAL USE FEE
Students are charged $12
per hour to cover ex
penses the University has
for expansion, air condi
tioning and rehabilitation
of facilities.
STUDENT CENTER
COMPLEX FEE
This $24 fee is required of all students
for maintaining, improving and equip
ping the Student Center Complex.
pays for the equipment and facilities used during
labs.
Equipment Access Fees
Equipment access fees were approved by the
Board of Regents for the College of Architecture and
the College of Geosciences and Maritime Studies.
The fees are $60 and $50, respectively.
These fees, which are also charged to certain en
gineering and science courses, cover equipment pur
chases and maintenance costs.
Parking fee increase
The Board of Regents recently approved parking
fee increases, which were proposed by the Finance
and Audit Committee. The increases are as follows:
• Commuter: $55 to $75
• Reserved (staff): $135 to $200
• Night Permit: $15 to $35
• Summer: $20 to $55
• Garage roof: $150 to $200
• Garage priority: $225 to $270
• Zachry basement: $225 to $270
• Garage inside: $200 to $240
• Garage visitor: $.50/hr to $.60 / hr
Gaston said the increases are necessary because
there is a $20 million plan to expand parking areas
and improve lighting. Plans for a new parking
garage are currently underway.
“Our parking is too low and hasn’t been changed
in years,” Gaston said.
Some students are angered by the increased
parking fee. Philby said she cannot understand the
reason for the increase because parking is so limit
ed.
“Why raise parking fees when there is nowhere
to park?” Philby said. “It’s too difficult to get park
ing anywhere on campus, so what is raising the fees
going to do for us?”
Boenig said the parking increases are necessary
because of the improvements students are demand
ing.
(We’re trying to listen to the students and fix
everything,” Boenig said. “Unfortunately, we are go
ing to have to pay for it.”
Boenig said he has created the position of vice
president for student finance to help monitor what
students’ opinions are on parking increases and to
make sure increases do not skyrocket.
“We’re trying to listen to more of what the stu
dents are saying,” Boenig said. “With our budget
constraints, it’s hard.”
New Recreational Sport Fee
A $50 fee will be issued to pay specifically for the
new sports complex located on West Campus. Kibler
said the complex is scheduled to open in Fall 1995.
“The students have been paying for many years
to support Rec Sports,” Kibler said. “That will con
tinue and the additional fee is just for the building.”
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