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OTHER NEWS STORIES - Rather than grieve, Judy Shepard speaks - 408 different ZIP codes, all under one roof - SCC student joins in tuition increases fight - Then and now - The Ebbtide analyzes pop culture - News Briefs You pay 'em, but do you know what your fees pay for? Daytona Danielsen Editor-in-Chief Each quarter, fees are tacked onto students' tuition. These fees fit into three categories: student technology, student services and activities, and PUB renovation. The Student Technology Fee The college charges students $2.50 per credit, up to $25 per quarter, to fund technological additions and to provide salaries for student lab aides. Student Senate oversees the fee. It receives requests from the campus and passes them to Technology Support Services (TSS). TSS determines whether the requests fit the needs of the campus and whether they can support them. The PUB renovation is under way, with the architect already hired. Photo courtesy of SCC Website The fee's most significant use was for the main, open computer lab in the library, Student Programs Director, Scott Saunders said. It provided for printers, scanners and peripheral gear. The fee also contributes to equipment for the chemistry department, the video editing suite, and $45,000 worth of computer gear for the digital and audio recording program. Charging these fees is a way to keep technology on campus current, since funds for technology are not available from the state legislature, Saunders said. Student Services and Activities Fee The student services and activities fee is $5.84 per credit, up to 10 credits. There is a graduated surcharge for students taking more than 10 credits. The fees collected support services and activities provided through Student Services. These include student government, the child-care program, student tutoring, intercollegiate and intramural athletics, and publications such as Spindrift and The Ebbtide. This fee also funds student clubs. Every spring, the budget committee meets to allocate money. Category Two organizations, those ongoing programs and services initiated by the college, are stable year to year with their necessary funds, Saunders said. However, he said there is a drastic change among clubs, the Category One organizations. The budget committee sets a baseline budget for these and meets again in the fall to hear additional requests from the clubs. PUB Renovation Fee In 1999 students voted to establish the PUB renovation fee of $3 per credit, $30 per quarter. SCC began collecting it in Fall 2000. Renovation is still a few years off, but the first phase is already complete, according to Saunders. The college used funds from the fee to build an elevator at the FOSS building, with the idea that the PUB would eventually connect with it. Last year the school spent $36,000 from the fee to hire an architect to come up with plans. The plan chosen will cost about $20 million, Saunders said. The cosmetology department, Carl Perkins tutoring center and bookstore may be relocated to the PUB, Saunders said. This would make the cosmetology department more accessible to customers who want services and more visible, hopefully increasing the client base. If the cosmetology department and the tutoring center move to the PUB, the school may receive some money from the state, since these are instructional programs. Saunders expects construction, which may be a complete re-build, to begin in about six years. "We're kind of at a hold and collect-funds stage," he said. Some classes have additional fees for equipment or materials. These fees are separate from the above. © 2003 Shoreline Community College™