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End activity tax
We need to switch from our current activity fee based system to a system where students are free to support those groups and activities that they want.
For the current semester I paid a $76.80 Activity Fee, $34.32 Health Services Fee, $6.48 Athletics Fee, $7.80 to MSUSA, an $80.00 Technology Fee and $65.64 in various student union fees. I paid a grand total of $271.04 in fees this term (and over $500 for the year). The figure represents a 13.2 percent "tuition tax" and will skyrocket to nearly 18 percent next year with the implementation of new fees related to the new stadium, fitness center, and Atwood remodeling. Putting the current semester fees in perspective, one will need to work an additional 32 hours at $8.50 an hour this term in order to pay for all them.
The allocation of student activity fees to student organizations is the most discriminatory and least logical. For example, cultural organizations receive over 60 percent of all allocated funds, make up less than 20 percent of all organizations and less than 10 percent of all students, yet still charge $5 - $10 to get in the door at most culture nights. The worst abusers of allocations are GLBT members who have formed four groups (GLBT Services, GLBT Alliance, OUTLOUD, Jugglers Against Oppression) all acting as one, each collecting a chunk of the activity fee budget. My solution would be to eliminate all student organization activity fees and let groups charge a membership fee what their hearts' desire. This would certainly be a fair and non-discriminatory system where students who do not join organizations would not pay any fee of this type.
Further unnecessary distributions include $66,780 to Multicultural Student Services, $312,425 to UPB, and $158,837 worth of athletic fees. Quick solutions for these expenses could include MSS holding fundraisers, UPB charging admissions and planning more attractive profitable programs and there could be a ticket or gate charge for students attending athletic events. In this fashion the people who go to these events pay for them and not the people who decide to work instead.
Unfortunately people still use the flawed logic that without activity fees there would be no activities. This is simply not true! What would you do with $500 in savings if there were little or no fees? Certainly that is enough money to see several movies, have a few drinks, join a club, take a short vacation and still have enough gas to cruise Division�.all activities!
Justin Turcotte
Senior
Meteorology
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