Invalid fee should be given back to students

When U students paid their fees this fall, most didn’t know they were helping fill a nearly $40,000 pit.

In March, the U Board of Trustees voted to approve a $1.34 per semester increase to the publication fee. The increase was supposed to fund the creation of a new Student Media Council by merging the Broadcast and Publication councils with Public Relations and the Advertising Council. The new council would have also created a new student media advocate position, which would help oversee campus media outlets. However, the media advocate was removed from the latest draft of the council's policies and procedures.  

Unfortunately, while the trustees were prepared to vote on the fee designed to fund the new council, the methods and procedures drafted to govern the council weren’t completed and could not be put to a vote. Instead, the trustees voted on the fee alone before they actually had a chance to read the details governing the council it was meant to fund. Rather than wait another year to vote on the fee, the trustees chose to pass the measure contingent on the Media Council passing in its April meeting.

But though the council didn’t pass in the April meeting—the trustees tabled it until fall—students were still charged the fee this semester, an amount just short of $40,000. Basically, fall students paid to fund a council that doesn’t exist, with a fee that isn’t supposed to exist, considering it was contingent on the council passing in the first place. The fee is sitting untouched and useless in a segregated university account.

Randy Dryer, chairman of the Board of Trustees, said the increase to the publication fee would have been approved even if there were no plans to create a new Media Council, albeit a smaller increase would be more likely. But regardless of other possible motivations, no one can dodge the fact that, according to the Trustee vote, in order for the fee increase to be valid, the Media Council had to be passed. Because it didn't, the fee is invalid.

Instead of sitting on almost $40,000 of locked student fees with no destination, the U should return the money to students, considering it shouldn’t have been collected in the first place. On top of that, the fee should be suspended indefinitely until the fate of the Media Council is decided.

letters@chronicle.utah.edu

5 comments

Jeff

Wed Sep 23 2009 01:40

the ghost of richard nixon,

go worship stalin somewhere else.

theghostofrichardnixon

Sun Sep 20 2009 03:17

No better way to steal money than free enterprise.

Capitalism at its finest.

U President Michael K. Young annual salary: $377,992

U Football Coach Kyle Whittimgham annual salary: $965,189

utahsright.com

Capitalism at its finest.

Jeff

Fri Sep 18 2009 04:41

typical socialist rhetoric "its just a small amount, no one will misuse it, it would cost us more to give you back your money anyway"

Chickadee16

Thu Sep 17 2009 14:50

These things happen in real life. Why is it a problem to hold-over the monies for the funding of the new committee? This is a small amount spread over the whole campus - and it will be used within a year and put this group in a position to be fully funded as it starts, which frankly gives the upcoming committee some breathing room for actions. I don't see a problem with it now that it has been collected. No one is putting this money to other use, no one is going to mis-use it. Yes, it is simply sitting there - like taxes that are collected often do at state level when there's a surplus. Do states often "give" back? Do you know how much it costs from the surplus to do that? Why should x-amount of dollars and time be taken for a fee that was minimal and only a couple of bucks per person if I recall correctly? Give it a rest. This is not going to even buy you a good mechanical pencil at the bookstore.

Jamie Thompson

Thu Sep 17 2009 10:08

Awesome.

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