SOUTHEAST CONSIDERS HIKE IN STUDENT FEES

Southeast Missouri State University plans to hike graduate and undergraduate tuition and general fees for the 2000-2001 school year, generating about $990,000 in added revenue.

The money would go to help fund salary increases for faculty and staff, improve computer services for students and cover other expenses.

The school's Budget Review Committee has recommended the fee increases to university President Dr. Ken Dobbins. Dobbins will review the committee's proposed hikes and then make a recommendation to the Board of Regents. The regents are expected to consider hiking fees at their March 24 meeting.

The committee wants to raise tuition or incidental fees by $4 a credit hour for in-state undergraduates and by $8 for out-of-state students. The increase would be twice that amount for graduate students, an added $8 a credit hour for in-state graduate students and an added $16 a credit hour for out-of-state graduate students.

On top of that, all students would pay a $9.70 credit-hour general fee, an increase of $1.50 over the current $8.20 charge.

The two fee hikes combined would result in undergraduate, in-state students paying $113 a credit hour. A student taking classes totaling 12 credit hours would pay $1,356.

The combined fee hike for out-of-state undergraduates would be $203 a credit hour.

Graduate students would pay $129 and $234 a credit hour for in-state and out-of-state students, respectively.

Dobbins said Southeast's fees are low compared to many schools. "Our graduate rates are a bargain," he said.

Dobbins said the university administration is aware of the need to keep costs reasonable. Said Dobbins, "We know cost is an issue."

The incidental fee or tuition charged a Southeast student amounts to just over 31 percent of the basic cost of educating the student, school officials said. The state pays the rest of the cost.

While the incidental fee goes to help fund general operations, the general fee is earmarked for specific services.

The general fee helps fund computer labs for students, recreation center and recreation field improvements, Student Government and other student activities. Some of the money also goes to help fund the university's athletics department so that students can attend sporting events "free of charge." The general fee also helps fund the university's health and counseling center.

Bill Duffy, vice president for finance, said the $1.50 hike in the general fee would be used strictly to help maintain and improve the school's computer services for students. Coupled with the proposed increase, students would be paying $2.50 a credit hour to help fund computer services for students.

Duffy said the initial plan was to increase the computer services fee by $1 rather than $1.50. But he said students on the Budget Review Committee believe the fee should be higher to provide needed computer services, including improved dial-up access to the Internet for students on campus and off.

Dobbins said the university's computer services fee is low compared to many other schools in the state.

The proposed hike in the general fee would allow the university to cover its costs in operating student computer labs and services, he said.

The tuition hike and general fee increase would generate added income of $720,000 and $270,000, respectively.

Southeast's incidental and general fees currently bring in about $23.5 million of the $71 million the university spends on basic operations. That doesn't include auxiliary services such as student housing and the operation of the University Center and the Show Me Center.