NEWS | OCTOBER 25, 2005

Science
Majority rejects new fees
Administrators to make final call but say they will weigh students’ opinions.

By C J Patton
The Shorthorn staff

Proposed and increased fees in the College of Science hit a setback at the annual Dean’s Forum, with a majority of students voting against the measure.

Each year, students give feedback on the next year’s fee changes and are asked to give their approval or disapproval. Science Dean Paul Paulus said that only 37 percent of students approved next year’s fees last Wednesday.

“We didn’t get as strong support as we did in the past,” he said. “Last year, it was unanimous in favor.”

Dr. Paulus said he wasn’t sure why so many students voted against the fees but that one difference between this year and last could be the proposed changes for the geology courses.

Some classes go on two-week field trips, which require a large fee, he said. In the past, these fees were collected at the time of the trip, but the college is attempting to add them as additional fees at enrollment.

Paulus said students in these classes would still be paying for the field trips but thought that maybe seeing a $750 fee on the sheet put the students off.

“We didn’t have the big geology fees for field trips [last year], so maybe that threw them,” he said. “We want to collect them before they go on the trip because you’re going to be paying for them anyway.”

Paulus said that no one at the forum asked questions before signing the fees petition. He said he usually relies on feedback from the students to understand “no” answers, and the lack of any this year has him wondering.

“When you have a big group, you sometimes have to work a little harder to get a dialogue going,” he said. “By the time we got all the results, it was too late. Everyone was gone.”

Paulus said he’s in the process of collecting information from the various departments in the college and that he will send the final report to the Fee Oversight Committee, which will review it and make a decision on Nov. 22. He said he will try to get the necessary input from the students while the process works itself out.

“There’s not a single required course that a fee was put on,” he said. “We put it forward simply because we feel these are needed. The students don’t determine if the fees are to go forward, but they do give feedback to the people along the way.

Rusty Ward, vice president for business affairs and controller and the Fee Oversight Committee chair, said student reaction to proposed fee increases is important to the process, weighed equally with the Dean’s justification for the changes.

“Obviously, if the students were not in favor of a fee, we’d certainly take a long hard look at it,” he said.

Ward said that, while negative student reaction isn’t always a deal-breaker, the committee will often send the proposal back for modification and more input.

“In most of the cases that I’ve been dealing with, it’s always been worked out to both the students’ and the dean’s satisfaction, one way or another,” he said.

Biology senior Brian Moon said he voted for the increases, although he knew he was in the minority during the forum. He said he thinks it will improve the quality and prestige of the department, which will reflect on him as a graduate.

“I’m not taking any more classes at UTA,” he said. “I figure it will increase the value of my diploma if the Biology Department increases its standards.”

CORRECTION

This story should have stated that a plurality of the students at the Dean’s Forum declined to approve the proposed fees. Of those surveyed at the forum, 47 percent voted against the fees, and the remaining either approved the fees or had no opinion.

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