MORE FEES: STUDENTS AT UNIVERSITY BACK ACTIVITIES, ATHLETICS

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- Two new student fees will be implemented at Southeast Missouri State University to fund student organizations and help support the athletic programs.

University officials estimate the fees will raise $348,000 to $373,000 a year $225,000 to $250,000 for funding student organizations and $123,000 for athletics.

The fees a student activities fee and an athletic fee were approved by the Student Senate Monday night.

The student activities fee met with little opposition, but it took two votes and some revisions to gain passage of the athletic fee.

All students enrolled in seven or more credit hours will pay $16 per semester to fund student organizations and activities, and another $9 per semester to help fund athletics.

All students enrolled in less than seven credit hours will pay an $8 per semester student activities fee and a $4.50 per semester athletic fee.

Under the measure, the athletic fee will remain the same for at least five years. There is no such guarantee regarding the activities fee, student senators said.

Bob Beodeker, Student Government adviser, said Tuesday that the fees had the backing of university President Kala Stroup and the university administration.

Beodeker said the Student Senate has the authority under the Student Government constitution to levy student fees to fund campus organizations and activities.

Art Wallhausen, assistant to the president at Southeast, said the fees will be implemented. But, he added, that the administration will ask the university's Board of Regents to approve the fees.

"They will be asked to take a look at the details and approve it at the next meeting," he said.

Monday night, student senators initially rejected the athletic fee measure on a 7-2 vote as Athletic Director Richard McDuffie, members of the Otahkian basketball team and other student athletes looked on.

The student athletes and McDuffie walked out of the room following the initial vote.

But the senators subsequently approved a revised measure on a 7-1 vote.

The revised measure requires the athletic department to submit a budget by the end of each spring semester, outlining plans for use of athletic fee revenue.

The Student Senate must approve of the plan before the money can be spent, explained Beodeker.

"It made sense," said student Sen. K.C. Martin. "If we want to control everybody else's (budgets), why should we let athletics walk in and spend it how they want?"

Martin said the Student Senate had little choice but to approve the fees.

The university currently spends about $140,000 annually on funding student organizations, including Student Government.

Martin said Stroup had indicated that with the current budget problems, the university could no longer continue to fund student organizations out of the general operating budget.

"She implied that she would look to Student Government and start cutting their budget, so Student Government (through which funding for student organizations is allocated) was actually faced with a budget cut," said Martin.

The Student Senate in past years had talked of levying student fees because of the need for more funding of student organizations. But, Martin said, the current budget problems at the university sparked the action taken by the senate.

Of the $123,000 a year that will be raised by the athletics fee, $87,000 will be used to increase the number of free tickets allocated for students at basketball and football games.

Under the plan, 1,600 free seats will be made available to students for each home basketball game instead of the current 800. And 1,500 such seats will be made available for home football games instead of the current 1,000.

Another $11,000 will go to fund athletic support groups such as the cheerleaders and the pep band. And $25,000 will fund efforts to encourage more students to attend athletic events, Beodeker said.

Scott Whiteaker, Student Government president, said some of the money could go to fund tailgate parties prior to university football games.

With the university moving up to Division I competition this fall, Whiteaker said Southeast's athletic programs will need increased funding, as well as student involvement.

Whiteaker said that the fee approved by the Student Senate was less than the fee that McDuffie had originally requested.

The original request called for students taking at least seven credit hours of classes to pay a $15 a semester fee. Students taking fewer credit hours of courses would have paid $7.50 a semester.

But Whiteaker said that the Student Senate settled on a lower fee after deciding that the money should not be used to help pay for a number of expenses, including recruiting of athletes and the travel costs of the athletic teams.

"I think it (the fees) will benefit the university in the long run," Whiteaker said.