SEMO students face hike in fees next fall

Southeast Missouri State University students could face the largest hike in fees in school history next fall, ranging from $18 a credit hour for in-state undergraduates to an increase of $42 a credit hour for out-of-state graduate students.

The increases include a $1 per credit hour hike to improve the university's computer system.

Parking fines would be doubled under a separate proposal, but school officials say that's not being done to boost revenue but to deter students from parking illegally in campus lots.

Last year, over 700 students had more than 10 parking violations and more than 230 had 15 or more campus parking tickets, school officials said.

Students who park on campus without permits would be fined $20 for the first violation and $40 for subsequent violations.

The Board of Regents will consider the fee hikes when it meets on Saturday, but the proposals already have angered students.

Student Government voted 21-0 with two abstentions on Monday night against a proposed tuition hike ranging from a per-credit-hour increase of $17 for in-state students to $41 for out-of-state graduate students.

The students also voted down the $1 fee for computer improvements for the university's database. The computer labs used by students wouldn't be upgraded. Only five students voted for the $1 hike in the general fee.

Students voted 11-10 against hiking parking fines.

Student Government is an advisory body, and the votes aren't binding on the regents.

Paul Dobbins, son of university president Dr. Ken Dobbins, joined his fellow student senators in voting against the proposed tuition hike. Dobbins and several other student senators said they needed to send a message to state lawmakers not to make such drastic cuts in state funding.

"We know students don't want an increase," said Luke Dalton, outgoing Student Government president.

Student Kenndis Joy said she and many students on financial aid can't afford the tuition hike. "I may not be here next year," she said.

Endowed scholarships

School officials say they hope to help students with a new Bridge to Success endowed scholarship program. The university's foundation will use money from its operation of the Cape Girardeau and Jackson license bureaus to help fund the program. The foundation will donate $1 for every $2 donated to the program.

Dobbins said the goal is to set up a $2 million endowment program to provide need-based financial aid to students.

The proposed fee increases would boost the per-credit-hour charge for tuition and general fees to $135.50 for in-state students, a 15.3 percent increase. Out-of-state graduate students would pay $294 per credit hour, a 16.7 percent hike.

Students also would pay $1 per semester, which would raise about $15,000 a year to pay for Student Government's membership in the new Student Association of Missouri. Student Government proposed that fee, which like all student fees, requires approval from the regents to take effect.

School officials say the tuition increase is needed to offset cuts in state funding. Southeast currently stands to receive $43.9 million in state funding for the fiscal 2003 year that begins July 1. That's $4.8 million less than the university currently gets from the state.

Coupled with increased operating costs, the university must make up nearly $6 million to continue current operations, university officials said.

More than $3 million

The fee increases would generate more than $3 million for the university. Southeast also plans to save over $900,000 by not giving faculty and staff percentage pay raises. Other savings will come from hiring freezes and funding carryovers from this year through various cost savings.

"We have done a good job of spreading the pain," Dr. Ivy Locke, the vice president of business and finance, told Student Government.

However, the university is proposing to raise pay $25 a month for faculty and staff to cover an expected increase in health insurance costs that employees must pay. "It will be a wash," Dobbins said earlier Monday.

But without a massive tuition hike, the university can't maintain its quality, Dobbins said.

"If we don't increase by that amount, we are going to have to start cutting programs," he said.

Even with the hike in fees, tuition and general fees would total $1,614 a semester for in-state undergraduate students taking 12 credit hours. That would be less than students will pay next fall at University of Missouri-Columbia, University of Missouri-St. Louis, Truman State, Southwest Missouri State and Lincoln University, school officials said.

mbliss@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 123