Students propose phasing in SEMO fee increases; speaker series off chopping block

Faced with rising fees and tuition, the Southeast Missouri State University Student Senate is calling on the institution to slow the pace of higher fees and hold the line on tuition costs.

And for now at least, one student government leader says the student-funded University Speaker Series is off the chopping block in the pursuit of alleviating fee burdens.

Last week the senate approved a resolution asking Southeast's board of regents to phase in the proposed increase in the student general fee that would help pay for a $58.2 million maintenance and renovation plan.

The university's proposal calls for raising the fee for maintenance and repair by $5 a credit hour. That would be on top of the $6 fee set to go into effect next school year. The financing package calls for $3.4 million per year to service the debt, with student fees covering about $2.2 million of the load. Over the course of a 30-year borrowing plan, the student share could climb into the tens of millions of dollars.

The student government resolution calls for a gradual increase of $2 per credit hour in the first year, $2 in the second, and $1 in the final year.

"Rather than throwing it all on the students at one time, we thought it better to do it gradually so it wasn't a shock," said Ben Hooe, vice president of student government.

The resolution, Hooe said, followed three weeks of forums, online surveys and other information-gathering sessions soliciting opinion from students. Options ranged from denying support for the funding plan to immediate implementation of the higher fees. Hooe said the phase-in proposal is a compromise.

The same resolution rejects any movement to raise tuition.

"We understand the university is having maintenance and repair issues, that these are becoming pretty dire problems and they need this money to repair the buildings," Hooe said. "We support the fee increase; we do not support an increase in tuition."

Southeast's board of regents is expected to finalize the borrowing plan next month, in large part to take advantage of federal incentives.

Gov. Jay Nixon recently pledged to pressure Missouri's colleges and universities to hold down tuition increases even while warning that they likely will take "substantial cuts" in the next state budget -- more than the roughly $50 million cut this year.

Looking to lessen the effect of higher fees, Southeast student government leaders considered the possibility of cutting or eliminating the University Speaker Series. Over its five years, the series has featured big hitters in national politics, culture and media.

With a budget of about $240,000 a year, or more than $1 per credit hour, some students wonder if the program is worth the cost. While television personalities like Mike Rowe from cable TV's "Dirty Jobs" and nationally known addiction specialist Dr. Drew Pinsky have attracted big student crowds, an event featuring political party stalwarts Tom Daschle and Pat Buchanan failed to attract much of a crowd, students included.

Hooe, who also serves as a student representative on the university's budget review committee, said the consensus is that most Southeast students see the value in a series that brings big-name speakers to campus. Until a majority of students call for the program to be dropped, Hooe said, the series will remain.

"It might be something we look into as we evaluate budgets and fees students are accessed in the future, so we are making sure students are getting the most out of their money," he said.

'Connected to the world'

The value of the program is not in one speaker or another but in the array of voices that are heard on the university campus, said Dennis Holt, vice president of enrollment management and student success.

"I think the speaker series has represented us very well," he said. "I think it contributes very positively to the image of the university. To have such a series shows we're connected to the world."

In tough economic times, Holt said, Southeast has to weigh the value of every program. While the board of regents would have ultimate decision-making authority on the university's budget, including student fees like those associated with the renovation plan and the speaker series, Holt said the process is not unilateral.

"Our students have a strong voice, and I think the board would be reluctant to go ahead without that support," he said.

mkittle@semissourian.com

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