Kevin Strong-Holte
News Reporter
With budget cuts on the horizon for many higher education institutions, the cost of supporting these schools often falls on the shoulders of the students. Though these “student fees” are included in every student’s tuition, few students seem to know where they are spent.
Mesa State College collected about $690,844 in associated student fees for the fiscal years 2010 and 2011. These funds are dedicated to clubs, programs, projects, and organizations that are expected to benefit, the entire student body.
The ASG and the Fee Allocation Committee, who are currently in their biannual budget process, allotted three days for student groups to present their proposed two-year budgets for review. Although the finalization of the student budget is ultimately determined by the ASG senators, the members of the FAC are the initial screeners.
So who is on the committee?
“There’s a representative from the media board, the fine arts board, and the Campbell board, and then we have four appointees outside of that, that have all been appointed by Nick Lopez, the ASG president,” said Fee Allocation Committee chairwoman Lauren Van Roekel.
This year, the FAC receivedthe budget proposals from 17 clubs and organizations on campus. When considering the appropriateness of each group’s proposal, the committee must focus upon key criteria.
“[The] criteria that the FAC boards looks for in proposals differ between budget and non-budget proposals,” said Van Roekel. “Overall there are some similar considerations. Those include effectiveness, number of students affected, and promoting positive image of Mesa State College. One consideration we take in budget proposals is our attempt to limit student fee increases as much as possible.”
Students are highly encouraged to voice their thoughts about how the student fee budget ought to be.
“If students want to provide their opinions about student fee allocations, they may contact Fee Allocation Board members or ASG Senators,” Van Roekel said. “Those representatives can be found on the Mesa State web site. Students may also attend Fee Allocation Committee meetings and speak during public input sessions. Fee Allocation Committee meetings are held every Monday at 6 p.m. in the Gallegos Boardroom.”
u
kstrongh@mesastate.edu