I’m paid with student fees and this deficit scares me

Students will be paying more in student fees for next year.

The solution to the shortage of money, that was promised to Colorado Mesa University organizations during the 2016-2017 school year, is to increase student fees. Student fees fund organizations like The Criterion, CMU-TV, Student Life, Horizon, Programming Activities Council (PAC), Sustainability Council and many more. 

One of the main issues in which lead to the increase, is more students are fully taking online classes, and therefore, do not have to pay student fees. This created a problem with organizations’ budgets. Now, they are trying to figure out what to do: increase student fees or cut budgets from organizations.

The Associated Student Government (ASG) is in charge of distributing the money from student fees to the organizations on campus.

This solution presented to ASG has been larger than past increase requests and would be 92 cents more per credit hour.

Now a dollar doesn’t sound bad, but college is expensive. A lot of CMU students chose this school because the price was more than reasonable. Yet, with this increase, it can indicate the number will only keep climbing up. Consistent increasing fees is not a favorable factor when students are looking for a university to attend. 

Being an editor for The Criterion, which is one of the student organizations, I am paid via those student fees. As much as I would like to get paid more or around the same amount, it should not be up to the students to have to do so.

It would be up to ASG to reallocate budgets if the student fee increase is denied. As a Criterion editor, this is frightening. For there has been talk and not a lot of love for the newspaper this year. We are doing a job, and if they want to cut our funding, then they need a solidly researched reason why.

Other organizations like PAC would probably not have to be concerned, even though it seems that more students read the paper than go to the events they put on. Then there is Horizon Magazine, CMU-TV, KMSA and graphic design that could go through cuts. The ones that put out products and information that actually impacts and informs the students.

The real question is: who messed up the budget in the previous year that now we have to increase student fees by so much?

Realistically, fees will go up, and also probably some organizations’ budgets will still be cut. Unfortunately, all the students can do is roll with the punches or leave CMU. I don’t think student fees should increase to pay for organizations that they are not on or sometimes don’t approve of. There have been many students who do not support The Criterion and I do not think that they should have to pay more.

There are some who don’t go to the events PAC or other organizations put on and they should not have to pay more. As much as I would not like a decrease in money for working the hours I do, it is not up to other students to fund my life.

I am working for Colorado Mesa University, not for individual students. I would, not with a smile, but I would accept a decrease in payment for students suffering more debt. I work to pay my debt, but college is expensive, and I am fortunate to have the tiniest bit of income. I do not want to put any more of a load on all the other students.

Organizations should all accept the same level budget decrease and accept that we do work for the school and want to make students aware and prepare events that will be fun for them. But, is it truly worth making them spend more money?