SGA submits proposal to raise tuition
Posted 12/07/2010
by Kirsten Scheid, Staff Writer
The final differential tuition fee proposals were passed at the regular Student Government meeting on Mon., Dec. 6, but not without discussion.
At the beginning of the meeting, Interim Chancellor Christopher Markwood asked that students and senators not listen to rumors about what might be happening financially to the state and specifically to the University of Wisconsin system because of the election results. He said there will probably be more furloughs and hiring freezes, but as of now, “I have received no directions from the State or the UW system.” He assured the senators that he would communicate any information he receives as soon as possible.
The first proposal discussed was the differential to raise money for computers and student staffing in Swenson Hall. The fee requested, to be applied to all students, is $14.44 per term, raising enough money in each of the three years covered by the proposal to buy 51 computers per year, and to hire an undetermined number of student staff. In discussion, Interim Chancellor Markwood initially praised the senators for their work.
“I commend you for the research and your effort to contact students,” he said, but went on to explain that the differential proposal as it stood does not cover all the expected costs, and that any differential would need to cover software support and staff support costs. The Vice Chancellor of Technology also spoke, saying that the differential would not cover infrastructure needs such as software and server costs, and that while a standard desktop computer would cost the approximate quoted price of around $900, a more powerful computer as would be required for advanced computing would cost three times that amount.
Senator Dean replied that he did not think it was the students' responsibility to plan for support staff, and that the current differential proposal did not call for opening all the computer labs in the first year, but spread the expenditures over the three years. Chancellor Markwood warned against establishing an unfunded mandate, and that the support and infrastructure costs has been in the original plans eight years ago, but that funding difficulties had caused them to be cut, and that the administration must weigh what is and isn't cut.
The proposal was approved by voice vote to be presented to the Chancellor and the Board of Regents.
The differential proposal to raise money for the Natural Sciences was discussed next. The proposal asks for a fee of $12 per credit in the natural sciences department. Chancellor Markwood said that establishing a fee per credit hour would produce variable amounts of funding from year to year. Senator Garfield said that he was aware of that, but felt that the fee should be spread among those who would be gaining the most benefit from improvements in science technology, and that he had sat in the breezeway at Barstow talking to science students, and had heard no negative feedback on the proposal. After some more discussion, the proposal was approved for forwarding to the Chancellor's office.
With little discussion, it was decided to retain the differential funding for Career Services and for Jim Dan Hill Library at their current rates.
Chancellor Markwood again commended the senators for their hard work in researching the proposals and for making the effort to talk to the student body. He said that the Board of Regents was expecting a single proposal rather than three separate pieces, so that his office would be consolidating the proposals and would consult the student government before forwarding them.
At the beginning of the meeting, Interim Chancellor Christopher Markwood asked that students and senators not listen to rumors about what might be happening financially to the state and specifically to the University of Wisconsin system because of the election results. He said there will probably be more furloughs and hiring freezes, but as of now, “I have received no directions from the State or the UW system.” He assured the senators that he would communicate any information he receives as soon as possible.
The first proposal discussed was the differential to raise money for computers and student staffing in Swenson Hall. The fee requested, to be applied to all students, is $14.44 per term, raising enough money in each of the three years covered by the proposal to buy 51 computers per year, and to hire an undetermined number of student staff. In discussion, Interim Chancellor Markwood initially praised the senators for their work.
“I commend you for the research and your effort to contact students,” he said, but went on to explain that the differential proposal as it stood does not cover all the expected costs, and that any differential would need to cover software support and staff support costs. The Vice Chancellor of Technology also spoke, saying that the differential would not cover infrastructure needs such as software and server costs, and that while a standard desktop computer would cost the approximate quoted price of around $900, a more powerful computer as would be required for advanced computing would cost three times that amount.
Senator Dean replied that he did not think it was the students' responsibility to plan for support staff, and that the current differential proposal did not call for opening all the computer labs in the first year, but spread the expenditures over the three years. Chancellor Markwood warned against establishing an unfunded mandate, and that the support and infrastructure costs has been in the original plans eight years ago, but that funding difficulties had caused them to be cut, and that the administration must weigh what is and isn't cut.
The proposal was approved by voice vote to be presented to the Chancellor and the Board of Regents.
The differential proposal to raise money for the Natural Sciences was discussed next. The proposal asks for a fee of $12 per credit in the natural sciences department. Chancellor Markwood said that establishing a fee per credit hour would produce variable amounts of funding from year to year. Senator Garfield said that he was aware of that, but felt that the fee should be spread among those who would be gaining the most benefit from improvements in science technology, and that he had sat in the breezeway at Barstow talking to science students, and had heard no negative feedback on the proposal. After some more discussion, the proposal was approved for forwarding to the Chancellor's office.
With little discussion, it was decided to retain the differential funding for Career Services and for Jim Dan Hill Library at their current rates.
Chancellor Markwood again commended the senators for their hard work in researching the proposals and for making the effort to talk to the student body. He said that the Board of Regents was expecting a single proposal rather than three separate pieces, so that his office would be consolidating the proposals and would consult the student government before forwarding them.
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