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Show NEWS OPENINGS H32 THE DAILY UTAH CHRONICLE 20022003 77 AN ADAM BENSON Chronicle News Writer The cost of a college education at the U is similar to that of some of the most prestigious schools in the country in at least one way: student fees. From Harvard to Yale and every Ivy League institution in between, students are charged a fee in addition to their tuition a fee that goes exclusively toward promoting student life on campus. The same goes for students at the U. After setting funds aside for textbooks, school supplies, food and tuition, the payment continues. A close look at any tuition bill will reveal "miscellaneous fees," which can range from $232.78 for a student taking nine credit stuhours up to $291.10 for a dent with 15 credit hours per semester. A student with 12 credit hours will be charged $261,94 per semester. These collected funds, known as the student activity fee, are allocated to twelve separate areas of campus. In this way, students effectively pay for all or many of the services the U offers its students, from using computers in labs to attending sporting events free of full-tim- e charge. The student activity fee at the U is slightly higher than that of another of the state's major public universities, Utah State University. Students taking 12 credit hours at USU will dole out $255 in student activity fees. Unlike the U, a separate library fee is included in that figure. Library fees at the U are a hidden cost within the price of tuition. ACCOUNT OF HOW THE year with that index," Lindsey said. The CPI, or Consumer Price Index, is an index of prices used to measure the change in cost of basic goods and services in comparison with a fixed base period. From the money that ASUU receives each year, a budget is drafted with money that is gained exclusively through student fees. "All ASUU money comes from student fees...the only revenue generation that goes on comes from ticket sales from the Presenter's Office, but that revenue is subsidized within their account," Lindsey said. programs. Building Fee For a student managing 12 credit hours per semester, a total of $56.72 goes toward a building fee. "The student building fee is pledged to the Auxiliary and Campus Facilities Bond System," said Randy Van Dyke, internal audit director at the U. This bond system includes seven buildings, all dedicated to serving students. Among these arc the Union, the Stadicampus bookstore, um, the Huntsman Center, all residential living facilities, food services and transportation and parking services. The fee serves three main purposes, according to Van Dyke. First, the money is spent on any renovations needed in the specified set of buildings. Second, the money is spent for major capital and renewal projects within the buildings. Finally, monies from the building fee are used to pay off any debts accumulated from any of the seven buildings. "Student building fees do not support any academic buildings," Van cs A 2002-200- 3 Computing The computing fee accounts for the largest portion of the student activity fee at $79.00 for students taking 12 credit hours. With more than 20 computer labs on campus, that money goes toward the operation of existing labs and also helps to create new ones across Fuel & Power Fee total of $17.50 per student goes toward keeping every building well lit and comfortable as the seasons change. "The fuel and power fee helps pay the basic costs of heating and electricity for every building on campus," said Paul Brinkman, senior vice president for academic affairs. The fee is in its first year of existence, and was established to combat the current budget crunches affecting higher education institutions across the state. "This is a new fee and was established because of recent budget meant to be a temporary fee until the state can recoup some of its losses," Brinkman said. short-falls...i- Behind the Numbers 2002-200- SPENDS YOUR MONEY accountant "They based the increase on the CPI, so our ASUU fee increases each Dyke said. The student activity fee is an umbrella payment by every student at the U. With nearly 27,000 students paying an average of $261, student activity fees will account for nearly $7 3 million of the U's budget in the academic year. All figures in this article are calculated for 12 credit hours per semester, and the fees apply to the academic year. ty peeBt this fee is a flat rate every year, it also increases by pennies annually. "At some point in time, the Board of Regents increased fees according to inflation." said George Lindsey, ASUU Additionally, money from the computing fee goes toward running library databases and supporting the online student registration system. "'J"his is a very important fee to support student computing services," said David Hoisve, a U computer professional. Heginning this fall, all computers in computer labs will require students to create a user name and password to access the Internet or word pnxessing Rice-Eccl- U Athletic Fee of $44.28 from every student's activity fee goes to the athletic department. It's this fee that enables t's A flat rate Health Services Of the total amount each student pays in their student activity fee, $16.92 will go to the student health center. The center provides health students free access to sporting events at the U, but according to Athletic Director Chris Hill, that's not the fee's main purpose. "We use the bulk of the money we get from students to support sports," Hill said. With men's basketball and football being the only two 24-ho- sports at the U, that is to providing uniessential money forms and equipment to the U's other money-makin- g athletic teams. ASUU Activity Fee The Associated Students of the University of Utah, the U's student government organization, receives $20.38 from each student at the U. Though Student Activity Fees For students taking credit hours. 12 University of Utah Student Activity Fees $261.94 Fuel & Power ASUU Activity $17.50 Fine Arts , $.90 $20.38 ' Building $56.72 Athletic Computing $79.00 Health j $16.92 Recreation $12.62 1 Music Theater 3.50 & Recreation $14.50 Library $11.00 ' $53.00 $26.00 kV - $49.25 Transportation $8.00 viding birth control. "We specialize in college health, so we look for college injuries and health issues among students," Rawlins said. "We strive very hard to make sure students are seen the same day or the next day, and we try as hard as we can to be the health outreach service on campus," she said. Recreation Fee The recreation fee is a flat rate of $12.62 from every student and goes toward operating the Nelson the HPER complex, the Outdoor Recreation Program and the bub- . Though Though students cin get into events for free, most student fees $o toward non-reven- ue $63.00 $2.00 complex because the complex is considered an academic building. Last year, the campus recreation services were used nearly 455,000 times, with intramural sporting events accounting for 29,956 participants. Sy x - Building Athletic Campus recreation services does not pay any utility fees in the HPER c- $24.75 Tech Enhancement she said. "-. Activity A Ad ' 11 Computing Health r t," i;-- $3.30 Utah State University Student Activity Fees $255.00 ble athletic training facility. "Within those facilities, we pay for all utilities, all salaries, all equipment, and we fund intramural sporting events," said Mary Bohlig, campus recreation director. "We don't receive any funding from the U, so we're completely . J Pub Council I Transportation $10.32 Field-hous- e, i $44.28 n ur care to all U students and their dependents. "The money we receive from students is a little over half of our budget," said Joan Rawlins, director of Student Health Services. That money, however, allows the health center to charge 40 to 60 percent less than standard fees. Located on level one of the Madsen Health Center, health services offers a variety of services, including pregnancy testing, blood pressure screening, tuberculosis testing, HIV testing and counseling, administering flu shots and pro- - non-reven- ' If sport equipment ind uniforms. , approximately 9,742 students used the golf course last year, Bohlig admits this number is difficult to accurately track. "We don't have fiber optics on the golf course, so it's impossible to get an accurate assessment of how many students use it annually' she said. Transportation Transportation services accounts for 3.9 percent of the student activity fee, or an average of $10.32 per student per semester. Funds received by transportation services through the student activity fee are dedicated to paying for transportation services on campus, including shuttle buses and free use of the Utah Transit Authority TRAX and bus systems. "Almost all the transportation fee goes toward bus passes and TRAX say about 95 to 97 percent of our budget goes toward that area," according to Alma Allred, director of parking services, the remaining 3 percent is kept on campus, paying for shuttle buses and their drivers. Publications Council The Publications Council is responsible for allocating $3.30 from every student's fees into a total of 16 publications, including The Chronicle, which receives the largest share of the money at $1.50 per student per semester. Other major publications that are funded by the Publications Council include Quarterly West, The Century, Shades, and Venceremos. us Fine Arts set rate of $.90 per student is distributed among the various departments and programs throughout the College of Fine Arts. A abensonchronicte.utah,edu |