In 2009, Mesa State College had just over 6,000 active students when student fees were last raised to support the growth of the campus and student activity.

Albeit being equally valuable and stimulating, student life, its membership and its impact were significantly smaller. Macklemore did not play a concert at MSC, nor did club fairs in the University Center have the same excitement and extravagance of more recent ones.

In 2014, with almost 10,000 students, the SCRF fund for the year is nearly depleted. That’s not a result of overspending, that’s a result of a healthily active student life.

All of the big and small spending items that ASG has approved this school year were valid from the start, from the executive orders that kick-started the compost program and The Point to the bill that passed last Wednesday, sending four chemistry students to a convention to present their research.

This is why student input as well as cooperation throughout CMU administration, ASG, clubs and student organizations is necessary to determine a reasonable increase of student fees.

Whether it’s organizations like Horizon, which had to scrape the bottoms of the coffers just to print a magazine, or a group of chemistry students who just want to present their research, the students who use these funds absolutely deserve them. They are the most maverick-y of the Mavericks. They are learning and excelling by accomplishing things that aren’t quantified by grades or a GPA.

These things are precisely what student fees are intended to fund. There shouldn’t be a rat race over the last bits of money left.

As more and more students see the benefits of participating in student life, the benefits of having substantial funds to support their activities should be apparent.