LETTERS: STUDENT-FEE INCREASES QUESTIONED

To the editor:

Southeast Missouri State University is currently trying to raise student fees a great amount. Why are they doing this? For the betterment of the students is what they say. The proposed plan for a new university center is raising hot debate. The students are being told they are No. 1 and that SEMO is here for the students. Is that what's really going on? Many don't think so.

The plan for the new university commons would put it in the new center of campus. Common arguments for the new university commons: The present university center was built before the newer buildings such as Scully and Dempster. The campus is moving northward. SEMO has been called a suitcase campus. This means that students pack up and go home on the weekends. The sense of community is not strong here. We need a place where can gather and socialize.

There are a few problems with these arguments. Why are you attending a university? This question was asked in Economics of Social Issues. The No. 1 reason was, "You expect higher education to improve your capacity to produce and to earn income, that is, to augment the quality of your labor resources." No where did it say we are here to socialize. We are here to further our education so as to benefit the communities in which we move to practice our vocations. Our fees should be invested in human capital. The feeds should be used toward enhancing our education, such as getting our library up to date. I believe that it would benefit our campus more economically and educationally if the library were to be moved to the center of campus rather than having the new university commons built there.

We are being told over and over that the physical appearance of the learning institution is what incoming students look at the most, and by not having our student center at the center of campus, we will lose those students. The facts speak something else. SEMO's enrollment is high right now, and it is expected to keep rising. Faculty members have made great advancements in getting students to attend here. We have recently started a 2-plus-2 vocation program where students attend two years of technical school and two years at SEMO. Courses are taught by SEMO faculty in St. Louis and Sikeston. From these programs and increased publicity, SEMO isn't hurting for enrollment.

SEMO is the only four-year college around this area. That is the reason we are a so-called suitcase college. The students we get are from areas close to here, and they go home on the weekends to see their families. Southeast Missouri prides itself on being a family-oriented area, so what is the problem with students going home to spend time with our families? Nothing, except for the simple fact that the college wants that weekend money to stay here. They want those direct-consumption benefits.

The students at SEMO, the majority of who are commuters, do not need senseless fee increases. If they are for educational reasons and will help students and the communities in which they live and work, fine. The new university commons is unnecessary for the betterment of education. It will only hurt the students who are working hard to make ends meet and further their education.

JENNIFER AVERY

Cape Girardeau