Sustaining Student Fees. By Tanijah Moore, and Niki Folk

      Price of admission today in colleges and universities is at an unprecedented high. Each year the cost of admission at Frostburg State University increases. Disdain from students may surround their knowledge of the amount of expenses in college, and the debt that often accumulates because of those expenses. Sadly, most students in this day and age do leave their undergraduate academic career with some amount of debt. When we think about the cost of admission, we often think primarily about tuition. However, upon closer inspection, the breakdown and cost analysis for admission at Frostburg State University shows that aside from tuition, student mandatory fees play a large role in the amount of money students pay to the university. Knowledge of these mandatory fees may lead students to ask: what are the mandatory fees?, why do they exist?, and where do they go? Mandatory fees are fees assessed to all students that provide access to activities and services. All students must pay these fees whether full time or part time with costs varying between the two.

All students at Frostburg State University are encouraged to take advantage of the benefits these fees provide. Mandatory fees at Frostburg State University include the technology fee, activities fee, athletic fee, auxiliary facilities fee, student union operating fee, transportation fee, and the newly added sustainability fee. At a glance, it may seem frustrating and overwhelming for students to have to pay these additional fees (a total of $2,182 per year for full time students and $100 per credit hour for part time students) as well as tuition. These fees only continue to increase annually and have increased a total of $1,072 since 2005. Through a series of interviews and data collection we can delve into a deeper look at the understanding of the necessity of implementing these fees and where they go.

                The cost of admission for one semester as a full time in-state undergraduate student at Frostburg State University is $8,098. What most students are unaware of is that approximately 27% of that cost goes to mandatory fees. In 2005, that percentage towards mandatory fees was 19%. While mandatory fee costs do increase yearly, each subsect of mandatory fees increase at different rates.

Some mandatory fees remain stagnant while others increase more significantly. Examples of fees that generally increase more than others are: athletics fees, student activity fees, and student union fees. The main factor that affects the top three fee increases is because of the personnel involved within the departments that each fee goes toward. Student union, athletics, and activity fees will always increase because of personnel costs. Anything that involves personnel costs (i.e. works and staff) can rise fast and significantly. Health insurance has gone up dramatically in recent years.  It is estimated that a person making $30,000 a year costs the university $24,000 in employee health insurance costs. David Rose, Vice President for Administration and Finance says, “[The student union] is operating to pay staff for the student union to operate.”

“Per Late at Lane we try to stay somewhere between the $25,000-$35,000 mark."

Student activity fees, for example, go toward a lot of different activities. One example is Late at Lane, a monthly event that is free to all Frostburg State University students and known to be filled with many, sometimes expensive, activities. Robert Cooper, Director of Student Activities and Greek Life, talks about the costs that comes with Late at Lane. Cooper says, “Per Late at Lane we try to stay somewhere between the $25,000-$35,000 mark. If we don’t bring in vendors it can be really low.” Students often don’t think about the significant amount of money that goes into these Late at Lanes which provide thousands of students with a free night of fun, food, music, games, and activities. According to Cooper and Rose, the fees that involve personnel payment costs or entertainment are the fees that increase the most.

Fees such as technology and transportation show the least amount of increase from 2005 to 2015.

Fee	2005	2015	Total Increase	Av. Increase/Yr.
Athletics	$446	$822	$376	$37.60
Auxillary	$180	$540	$360	$36
Student Activity	$130	$316	$186	$18.60
Student Union	$214	$304	$90	$9.00
Technology	$120	$164	$44	$4
Transportation	$20	$36	$16	$1.60

In 2005, for example, the transportation and technology fees were approximately $20 and $120, respectively. In 2015 they have increased approximately to $30 and $160. An average increase per year for these fees is approximately $1 and $4. Athletics, however, a fee that rises more significantly, has an increase of approximately $37 per year, increasing from $446 in 2005 to $822 in 2015. These annually increases may not seem like large amounts (athletics increases about $37 yearly), but going from approximately $400 in one sector of a mandatory fee, to paying approximately $800 in the last ten years is a significant addition to the money that students already have to fork out to the university. This $800 fee combined with the other fees, all accumulates to a grand total of $2, 182 in mandatory fees. This is an extra $2,182 dollars that students pay separate from tuition. Many students do not have an extra $2,182 at hand. Realistically for some, the $2000 in student fees may even entail taking out another loan which can possibly add to student debt upon graduation. While this may seem problematic from a student’s perspective, students should also think about how much they benefit from these fees. Students don’t realize just how much work goes into those activities and entertainment, how much personnel are involved, and the hefty costs surrounding events such as Late at Lane and athletics. Being aware of what these fees are and where they go can give students at Frostburg State University better insight about these mandatory fees.

“We try to look at it in total as the average and aggregate.”

                With a general understanding of mandatory fees and the places they go, another aspect to look into is the general idea of how the amounts of these fees are determined, who determines them, and how long that process takes per fiscal year. Rose says, Once the university gets all of the instructions and parameters from the state, it is then able to formulate a budget. There is a lot of outside influence on what the school can do in implementing these fees.  Rose says, “For example, if we are limited to an increase of 3% we may increase one fee higher than 3%, but then not increase another fee at all in order to keep within the 3% cap.” Fee increases are not looked at individually, but rather as a whole. “We try to look at it in total as the average and aggregate,” explains Rose.  Also, sometimes new fees are added. Frostburg State University’s newest mandatory fee is the sustainability fee. It is for a committee of people (the sustainability group) made up of faculty, staff and students which generate money towards sustainability initiatives. Examples of initiatives would be the addition of more bike racks to encourage using bikes over cars. That 3% cap exists because 3% is the price cap of tuition appropriated by the state. Rose says, “We try to keep mandatory fees at the same 3% cap as tuition.”

“There is a myth that if you don’t spend it all we cut your budget…this is not true."

                Another question to inquire regarding student fees, is what happens to money if a department doesn’t use all of its budget? According to Rose, “There is a myth that if you don’t spend it all we cut your budget…this is not true. We encourage spending but…please spend wisely.” Despite encouragement to efficiently utilize all money given to a fee department, there may be those departments that do utilize all of its money. This lack of utilization though, does not do the university a disservice, but rather a service. Rose states, “Any excess money at the end of the year goes into what we call our ‘fund balance.’ We are required to maintain a certain level of balance.” In other words, a fund balance is sort of the university “rainy day find.” So whether or not a department uses its entire budget, the money is still utilized in a very productive and beneficial way for the university.

Mandatory Fees for athletics enable the construction of playing surfaces, like the turf, pictured above (before) and below (after). The turf was installed during the summer of 2016. 

                While paying an approximately $2,182 in mandatory fees may seem like a drag, students have to think about how much they gain from those fees. Next time you’re at a football game, standing in line for a Late at Lane anticipating the cool activities and themed entertainment, or riding your bike to school knowing you’ll have a guaranteed rack to keep it on, give yourself a pat on the back because your contribution in mandatory fees makes all of these things and more possible.

Click here to view the tuition and fee schedules for 2010-2016.

Click here to preview some of the activities offered and financed by mandatory fees.   

An event sponsored by the University Programming Council: On the Edge featuring poet Oveous.