The Board of Trustees approved to have no overall increase in mandatory student fees for the new fiscal year, instead keeping the fees at the same rate as this year.

Mandatory student fees include areas such as the Textbook Rental Service, shuttle bus, campus improvement, Grant-in-Aid, student activity, student publications, concert, Martin Luther King Jr. University Union operations and Lantz-O’Brien operations.

While there will not be an overall increase, internally a few of the areas have shifted money into other areas.

Textbook Rental Service will decrease by 20 cents per semester credit hour, dropping from the presently $9.95 to $9.75 per credit hour. The shuttle bus will also decrease from 91 cents per credit hour to 86 cents per credit hour, totaling a decrease of 5 cents. Campus improvement also has a decrease. The board approved campus improvement to decrease by $5.75, going from $22 to $16.75 per credit hour.

While those three areas decrease, money will move into the other areas to give them an increase in funding.

Grant-in-Aid will increase by $2 per credit hour, rising from $13.15 to $15.15 for the new year.

Student activity increases by 55 cents. This year’s total for student activity was $2.22, while next year’s will be $2.77.

Student Publications will increase from 37 cents to 67 cents for a total of a 30 cents increase.

Concert increases from 42 cents to 57 cents – a 15 cents growth.

Martin Luther King Jr. University Union operations will receive a $1.50 increase per credit hour, going from $6.67 to $8.17.

Finally, Lantz-O’Brien operations also increases by $1.50. This year the student fee was $4, while next year’s will be $5.50.

Dan Nadler, the vice president for student affairs, said instead of just looking at individual fees, they looked at fees across the board to see what could be adjusted.

“What we’ve been able to do through some cost-saving measures and through additional efficiencies is found we have some accounts doing better than others,” he said.

Nadler added that while certain areas would increase, overall it would not, so instead of having to ask the board for a student fee increase, he asked for permission to readjust a few of the areas to make sure there were no increases.

“What we’ve been able to do through some cost-saving measures and through additional efficiencies is found we have some accounts doing better than others,” he said. “So rather than going to the students and going to the board and asking for fees to be increased, we’re really seeking permission to readjust the mandatory fees, which then would allow us to reduce some of the fees on some of the areas and move those monies into other areas where it’s really needed.”

Student fees joins housing and tuition for next year, with none of those funds increasing for students.

Bob Galuski can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].