College Tuition : What's the deal?

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College tuition is one of the biggest concerns for upperclassmen in high school as they begin to think about life after high school. The cost of attending a four year university has been consistently rising in recent years. At Frostburg State University costs have risen but students are beginning to wonder how the school cost so much more when not much has changed.

As of 2015 there are 4,915 students in undergraduate studies at Frostburg State University. Frostburg State Admissions said,  “Total enrollment at FSU is 5,756, 111 students, or 2 percent, greater than in the fall of 2014. Total undergraduate enrollment is 4,961, compared to 4,915 in 2015, a difference of 46 students, or 1 percent. Over the past decade, undergraduate enrollment has grown by 15 percent, from 4,321 in 2005” (2015). Those students all have to do one thing of course besides getting education and that is paying bills and fees. This link http://www.frostburg.edu/ungrad/admiss/#cost estimates the costs to attend Frostburg State University as an undergraduate. This link breaks down the lump sum that you pay to the school into groups. This video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-IuFSt5xWA explains the rising cost of college tuition and what the money is spent on. We all know of course students have to pay tuition and housing, that’s a given but what about the other fees the students don’t pay attention too? Where does the money go? Do a lot of students know that they are paying for stuff that they don’t even use? Did you know that there is a 700 dollar transportation fee? Yes, there are students who are wondering, “What do you mean transportation fee?” It could mean that it covers the transit buses that go around campus and towns, the shuttle vans that work Saferide on the weekends, or the shuttles that take students from Edgewood Commons to campus. Here is a table that displays group by group where Frostburg State University’s tuition money is “supposedly” going towards. 

Mandatory Fees	1st Semester	2nd Semester	Total
Technology Fee	$88	$88	$176
Activities Fee	$158	$158	$316
Athletic Fee	$461	$461	$922
Auxiliary Facilities Fee	$270	$270	$540
Student Union Operating Fee	$171	$171	$342
Sustainability Fee	$15	$15	$30
Transportation Fee	$18	$18	$36
Total Fees	$1181	$1181	$2362

Technology would probably go under computer labs and library use, but there unknown weird fees like the auxiliary facilities fee, sustainability fee and even athletic fee. It has been said a lot of Frostburg State University students feel as if their tuition dollars are not being used in a manner that parallels the values of students on an individual basis. Some of the changes are quite clear if students would pay attention. For example, a student parking lot has been torn down to make a public safety center leaving limited spots for students to park. However, if a student parks somewhere or some time on campus they are not supposed to they will be ticketed. There have also been sightings of the new Frostburg State University Police vehicles. Two years ago in 2014 Frostburg State Police officers patrolled the campus and neighboring student housing in SUV’s now the ride around in Dodge Chargers. In case you didn’t know Dodge Chargers price assuming that the police vehicles are 2015 are starting at 27,995. The question to take home is, “Why are Frostburg students paying these fees?”  If the fee in question has no relevance or benefit to them. Frostburg State University students are not only angry but they are curious. They want an answer. Why should a regular student who does not participate in any athletics or activities following under it have to pay a fee for it? Are these fees for the good of the students or the university? Frostburg senior Kayla Johnson 22 said “"I feel that sometimes my money goes to waste on extra fees towards the school. I do not use the game room, and typically do not attend most on campus events because of my schedule and major. It is really hard to spend this kind of money on these fees when I do not benefit from these services. I think fees should be individualized based on students. For example if you are an athlete then you should have to pay a fee for that. If you do not personally benefit from these fees OR could possibly benefit from these things you should not have to pay for it. A new locker room, or team bus for sport teams should not come out of my wallet."  Another senior Megan Phillips said, “A new police station when there is a perfectly good one shouldn’t come out of my wallet either. Especially when it takes away the biggest student parking on campus….” Frostburg State University students have made their voices heard. They would like to know where there money is going, and they would like their money to benefit them and the resources they use. So in order to find out why the students are paying these fees Frostburg students would have to go to the billing office.

The billing office is proclaimed to be busy this time of the year. They seem to be reluctant to speak to writers with regards to specifics of where certain fees go and why they are necessary. On the other side of the coin, it could be seen as beneficial by being able to access any of these facilities on campus without needing anything more than student identification.  Barbara Feldman is the provost at Bridgewater State University. She is also a candidate for the provost job at Frostburg State University. Mrs. Feldman said this with regards to some of the fees implemented at college, "We also need to spend time on Revenue generation we can’t just keep raising money on the backs of our students via more and more student fees." Students can use things like Frostburg State University’s weight room or rock climbing wall for free.

Figure 1 Sporting events such as a Men's Basketball home game is an example of something students can attend for no charge

Figure 2 Frostburg State University's cheerleaders in their new locker room

Figure 3 The rock climbing wall inside the Physical Education Center which is free to use for students

Now someone who is pro-fees may claim that the school needs the money from these fees. That will be the next thing tackled. You can see in the photograph below that tuition & fees make up for 32.7% of the school’s revenue. This is the second biggest form of revenue behind the state appropriations. This link http://www.frostburg.edu/budget/budget-resources/budget-graphs/ has not only the revenue graph which shows what the school spends their money on. The largest portion of that is instruction. This link provides a good opportunity for students to see on a grand scale where their money, the state’s money, and other monetary revenues are spent.

Figure 4 Frostburg State University's revenue for the 2017 fiscal year.










Side Bar Story


Paying tuition and fees is something every college student has to deal with. Then there are all the mandatory charges rolled into the published “tuition and fees,” including a slew of secondarily named fees for costs that used to be covered by tuition. I speculate these fees go mainly toward faculty recruitment and salaries. Athletic fees, technology fees, lab fees and even transportation fees. For a student who for uses school computers, takes a science requirement the use of labs and frequently uses the school buses, they will have no problem paying these fees. However, for others who barely go to the gym, or barely use the school transportation, I have to ask why they are required to pay such fees. It is already bad enough as college students to deal with the major expenses that come with earning a degree. Paying for services that one does not utilize is not pleasant to my ears. Taking our school, Frostburg State University as an example. Below is a list of mandatory fees 

Tuition - full time (12 credit or more)		1st Semester	2nd Semester	Total
Maryland Residents		$3170	$3170	$6340
Out-of-state Residents		$9432	$9432	$18864
Regional Residents*		$7050	$7050	$14100
Mandatory Fees
Technology Fee		$88	$88	$176
Activities Fee		$158	$158	$316
Athletic Fee		$461	$461	$922
Auxiliary Facilities Fee		$270	$270	$540
Student Union Operating Fee		$171	$171	$342
Sustainability Fee		$15	$15	$30
Transportation Fee		$18	$18	$36
Total Fees		$1181	$1181	$2362

Of all these mandatory fees, the ones I really utilize or I think applies to me are really the technology and activates fees. The rest of the fees totaling about $900 is wasted money in my eyes and in the eyes of many other students who do not use these services.  
“I feel that sometimes my money goes to waste on extra fees towards the school. I do not use the game room, and typically do not attend most on campus events because of my schedule and major. It is really hard to spend this kind of money on these fees when I do not benefit from these services. I think fees should be individualized based on students. For example, if you are an athlete then you should have to pay a fee for that. If you do not personally benefit from these fees OR could possibly benefit from these things you should not have to pay for it. A new locker room, or team bus for sport teams should not come out of my wallet." says an undergraduate student
Instead of charging students for services they may or may not use, I think colleges, Frostburg state university included, should develop some sort of card or ID system. Students should have an option to choose the services they will be utilizing and pay for those services. For example, students that will be using the school transportation should get a bus pass or a gym pass. This will indeed save the rest of students lots of money.