Institutional fee set to remain

The Georgia College special institution fee increased from $175 to $275 per semester for the 2011-2012 academicyear.

The fee was implemented at the start of the 2009-2010 academic year by the Board of Regents during a period of economic strife and was set to expire in June 2012. Continued financial instability and insufficient revenue, however, have not only caused the fee to increase but made its 2012 cessation highly unlikely.

Further state funding and federal stimulus reductions, enrollment growth and budget cuts left Georgia’s 35 public colleges and universities with a $346 million gap between revenue and expenditures this year, making an increase in attendance cost unavoidable, according to the University System of Georgia’s website.

John Millsaps, associate vice chancellor of media and publications for the USG explained why the BOR choose to increase the fee instead of tuition.

“Since we cannot raise tuition for students on the guaranteed tuition plan, the fee increase was more equitable and fair to all students,” Millsaps said.

Increasing a system-wide “general purpose fee,” such as the special institution fee, is essentially a way to raise tuition without making the tuition base any higher.

“It goes to the same thing as tuition, running the institution,” Millsaps said.

SGA President Evan Karanovich understands the challenging position the BOR is in. Serving as a vital link, Karanovich works with administrators to communicate the students wants and needs.

“It’s kind of like a tax,” Karanovich said of the institutional fee. “We demand certain things, and in order to have them, we have to pay,” Karanovich said.

Though times are tough, Karanovich believes the BOR is doing their best to provide the highest quality education at the lowest possible price. “In my eyes it’s about finding the best solution,” Karanovich said. “We are going to get the maximum capacity out of our dollar.”

Though the cost of a college education is high, students can rest assured that it is well worth the price. As a student himself, Karanovich looks at education as an investment.

“It’s not a cheap investment,but education is important,” Karanovich said.

Elizabeth Teasley, freshman undeclared major, believes her education is a worthy investment. She wishes, however, that administrators would make financial reports more detailed and easier for students to access.

“A lot of students just pay their bill without thinking too much about it,” Teasley said. “It would be nice if they provided students with a detailed statement about exactly where their money will go.”

The BOR will meet in April 2012 to discuss finances concerning the upcoming academic year, including the future of the institution fee.

Posted by TristanHarrison on Sep 8 2011. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.