Clemson Trustees Approve Fee Increase

Feb 2, 2006, 5:21 PM

CLEMSON TRUSTEES APPROVE FEE INCREASES
FOR STUDENT LIFE SERVICES

COLUMBIA - Clemson University students' quality of life outside the classroom should improve this fall, with a boost from fee increases approved today by the school's board of trustees. Increases in meal plan, health service and housing rates, and a new transit fee requested by students, will take effect for the 2006-07 school year.

"It is always a tough decision to increase student fees," said Almeda Jacks, vice president for student affairs. "But, in order to maintain and improve the quality of campus life our students expect, it must be done."

The cost of meal plans, which currently range from $567 to $1,285 per semester, will increase 5 percent. The increase will pay for facility and equipment upgrades and offset higher costs of labor, food, insurance and utilities.

The health fee will rise $15, from $110 per semester for full-time undergraduate and graduate students to $125 per semester. The summer health fee will increase $5, from $40 to $45. The health fee covers on-site professional services at Redfern Health Center on campus, which is accredited by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Health Care Organizations. Services offered by Redfern's physicians, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, clinical psychologists, psychological counselors and licensed substance abuse counselors are all covered by the health fee.

Housing rates will go up an average of 4.18 percent. The increase will help fund the university's long-range major improvement plan for residence halls and offset higher operating expenses.

The transit fee, a new fee proposed by students and presented by student senator Brian Church, a senior computer information systems major from Taylors, is $67 per year. The fee will generate approximately $900,000 annually to support transit services, such as Clemson Area Transit bus system. The revenue will allow for the expansion of CAT routes to campus residence halls and off-campus apartment complexes. Other improvements will include better remote parking bus service and bus service on and off campus 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Currently, parking services revenues contribute $850,000 annually to Clemson Area Transit and on-campus shuttle services. This new fee will allow parking services revenue to be directed to parking improvements, such as new parking structures on campus.

"Transit services are an integral part of the Clemson infrastructure," said Katy Bayless, student body president. "Without this fee, we will not have the financial ability to improve our landscape, create a pedestrian-friendly campus or improve upon the services provided by Clemson Area Transit."

"This fee was requested by and approved by our student government to improve the quality of student life at Clemson," said Almeda Jacks, vice president for student affairs. "We applaud our student government for making decisions to make campus life better for all students."

In other action, the trustees voted to accept property and facilities from the city of North Charleston and Friends of the Hunley related to the university's plan to establish a Restoration Institute in the Lowcountry.

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