Issue date: 9/10/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Kellie Jasso [Click to enlarge]

Tuition and fees take a chunk out of the students' bank accounts every semester, yet they may not know where all of their green goes.

Some of the fees students have to pay each semester include payments for use of the Student Recreation Center, transportation, the student computing center and the writing center. This leads to one of the issues aggravating the students today: paying for services they don't use.

There are students that drive themselves to campus, then walk or bike to classes exempting the use of transportation services. Some students have either never heard of the writing center or have never used it.

Though the students seem to have much to complain about for the amount they spend, there is actually a long and difficult process taken to ensure that the amount the University charges the students is justifiable.

"The legislature requires that the money is specifically used for the service it's collected for and nothing else," said Deborah Wright, the director of budgets. "There is a Student Fee Review Committee that carefully looks over each fee requested every semester to ensure that there will be no overpricing and every detail is up to date."

The Student Fee Review Committee is made up of figures such as the director and executive director of student business services, the associate vice president of business affairs and student representatives, including the student body president and the president of the graduate student council. Student representatives are important in these issues because they provide a voice for those paying fees, and give the committee an outsider's view.

"[Paying for these services] allows us to generate a sustainable and predictable funding source to ensure that students can use these services offered to them. It allows us to provide services that the students deserve, and with the funding source we are able to make sure it is top-notch and available for years to come," said Jason Cook, vice president for marketing and
communications.

Each year, the student fee review committee has an open meeting where students and parents can share their views on deductions or additions to student fees.

The committee makes sure that the fees meet legislature requirements and that the students are informed and able to give feedback. But before the fees are accepted, they are reviewed by Texas A&M President Elsa Murano, who looks at every fee to ensure it is correct.

"It kind of sucks to pay for them, but it's necessary for the operation of the facilities on campus. It's also essential for fees not to get too high because, like taxes, it causes way too many problems," said Brett Folmar, senior civil engineering major.

So before students think about how unreasonable the amount of the fees are, remember the process that the University goes through to make sure students are paying it justifiably.

"The administration is aware of the financial burden on students, and is committed to working with them on this issue," Cook said.

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