Students can expect to dole out extra cash for the upcoming Summer B semester after UF’s fee committee voted to increase student fees.
Jeanna Mastrodicasa, assistant vice president of student affairs for UF and chair of the university’s fee committee, said the activity and service fee was raised 84 cents, and the student health fee was raised 82 cents. The athletic fee wasn’t changed.
Mastrodicasa said the extra revenue from student fees is largely going toward raises for faculty. While some UF personnel are paid through state funding, salaries of employees at campus organizations like GatorWell and the Department of Recreational Sports are made up of fees.
For the first time in roughly six years, the university mandated that all staff receive raises, including a 3-percent salary bump for auxiliary staff effective in October — but that meant the organizations had to come up with the cash on their own.
“It’s just the way that the money works,” Mastrodicasa said. “It’s part of running a business.”
Along with the required raises, she said fees were also raised because of a student enrollment dip from 2013-2014. With fewer students taking courses, revenue from credit hours also drops. Enrollment is projected to decrease again for the 2014-2015 school year.
She said by state statute, the university’s fee committee is only allowed to raise local fees by 5 percent yearly. This year’s cap totaled $1.66.
The committee, which met twice in October, voted on presentations from campus organizations asking for a percentage increase, she said.
She said four students and three faculty members make up the committee, with Mastrodicasa acting as a tiebreaker. The students are recommended by the Student Body president, and the vice president of student affairs makes the faculty recommendations. UF President Bernie Machen has the final say for appointments.
She said because UF’s athletic department has a history of being successful, the committee rarely asks for a fee increase. UF’s $1.90 athletic fee is relatively small compared to FAMU’s $13.97, or University of West Florida’s $20.88.
Hayden Kemp, a 21-year-old UF political science senior, said the 82-cent and 84-cent increases might not seem like a lot, but with tuition and other expenses growing, the costs add up.
She said although the faculty deserves raises, if the fee increase benefitted students instead, she would happily pay it.
“It just means more money students are going to have to pay,” Kemp said.
A version of this story ran on page 1 on 1/14/2014 under the headline "Student fees to increase this Summer "
