OPINION
SPORTS
A&C
THE SAD STATE OF MODERN NEWSROOMS
WOMEN’S ATHLETICS DESERVE MORE
STUDENTS CREATE CSU ‘SURVIVOR’
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Guide to CSU student fees Vol. 127, No. 124 Thursday, April 12, 2018
@mikarodenbaugh
Student fees add about $2,300 to the cost of attendance each year for students. And, this year, fees are expected to rise again. Ahead of next week’s Student Fee Review Board presentation to CSU President Tony Frank, the process and structure of student fees will be a topic of importance in the coming months as the University finalizes its budget for the next fiscal year. After SFRB presents, Frank will then take these suggestions to the Colorado Board of Governors. These recommendations will include a list of student fees for services and student organizations, as well as fees and increases that ensure the University’s compliance with local laws, like the recent increase in Colorado minimum wage. Frank came to the Associated Students of Colorado State University’s senate chambers to discuss budgetary issues with student government Wednesday night. During his presentation to the senate, Frank stressed the importance of student choice in the budget process. “I’ve never taken a fee to the board that you didn’t recommend,” Frank said. The process Every spring, 19 fee areas present a budget that incorporates the student fees, the revenues, the expenses and the funds, to the SFRB. “It’s a one page document, and they have an hour to present about their fee area, they talk about revenues, expenses, depending on the
w e representation of the student area,” said Mike Lensky, c a n voice in this group,” Wise said. former ASCSU vice president There are a few key factors get and former chair of the SFRB. t h e outlined in the ASCSU bylaws With the recent election, that help the SFRB decide Kevin Sullivan, ASCSU vice what fee proposals have merit, president-elect will be including: if a fee is studentrecruiting a new SFRB / supported (meaning 10 to review fees that Stu fee on n A o sed rea den registered student fall under ASCSU’s s e t a s p Fe id g b c a o r g a n i z a tions budget for the r e e s n e fee kin se B d oti ia inc g fo nt, support it), if coming school SFR ase v criter r there is sufficient re SFR ease r year. However, inc B to student need for the time for a fee and if the being, current fee is sponsored by a Vice President university department. Cole Wise Criteria fees need to presides over meet: alignment to CSU the SFRB, who land-grant mission; ability to will present to effectively use the fee; service Frank in midrelated to the organization’s April. SFRB takes a adherence to b e s t purpose; “The Vice vote on fees the planned budget in the President-elect proposal; potential for direct will put together student use; input from an application with Onc student constituents, some questions and e an SR according to the ASCSU then send it out to all the d deli FB vo y d ver tes bylaws. 19 fee directors of the 19 ra a bud ft ASCtes, Accountability areas,” Wise said. “They will get SU In order to also help us to recruit, and so keep fee areas they’ll get the message out to accountable for the areas that they serve. It will Fees finalized/ serving students, be put up on our website, and added to ASCSU the SFRB also then we’ll do a marketing push budget has the option to for members to be involved add fiscal notes with this.” stipulating When selecting c e r t a i n a board that will requirements, make decisions though Lensky about student admits this fees handled system is not a through the Ton perfect safeguard A S C S U p yF to resen rank against misuse of a g e n e r a l B Gov oard ts fee. Once a student fee, student eno of fee has been approved government rs for the first time, it is administrations harder to follow up on if said they are that same student fee should purposeful about their be renewed the following year selection. based on if it was cost-efficient “Diversity of thought, in for the student body. majors, in colleges, in activities “There’s not an official they are involved in, in fee areas process for us to say no they have association with, it’s (after adding fiscal notes),” really kind of looking at how
INFOGRAPHIC BY SHELBY HOLSINGER COLLEGIAN
To n AS y Fra CS nk U re bu v dg iew et s
By Mikaela Rodenbaugh
Lensky said. “There’s not like a concrete no, like, ‘Oh, you didn’t do it, you can’t get anything.’ But usually, if a fee area doesn’t follow up on what they are doing we will usually not accommodate – like if athletics has to dip into a reserve and disregarded us, we would probably vote no on a fee increase.” The SFRB can choose to review whether or not a fee is really serving students and choose to discontinue a student fee if it is not serving student needs. This was the case in the early 2000s with the Rocky Mountain Raptor Program, which was approved as a student fee by the SFRB, but then later removed. It was determined that too few students benefited from the service as it only trained limited students to handle raptors. How other Colorado universities handle student fees Beyond accountability after approval, different universities have different systems and philosophies when it comes to how a fee becomes a charge on a student’s account. At University of Colorado in Boulder, for example, potential fees or increases are suggested by a large pool of students through individual votes. After that, fees are reviewed by the student government in a series of legislative hearings. Finally, approved budgets are taken from the Chief Financial Officer to the Board of Regents for approval before they are placed on students’ bills. Recently, however, the Chancellor at CU proposed
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