The forum was held to inform students about the fees and why they are being instated. (File/The Daily Campus)
A University of Connecticut forum outlining proposed fee bill increases for the first time in five years drew only one student in attendance.
The forum was held to inform students about the fees and why they are being instated.
“We want to make sure we are transparent and that there is simplicity with this process,” Scott Jordan, Executive Vice President for Administration and Chief Financial Officer, said.
The proposed changes include a $46 increase to the general university fee and a $500 fee for the new recreational center.
“The fee committee that reviews the current funding and activities on campus organizes and runs a structured process that determined this price increase,” Jordan said.
The committee is comprised of five students and five administrative positions, which recommended the $23 per semester increase.
“We are implementing smart card technology for the Husky OneCard … we are converting the current magnetic strip to a smart chip design to provide a much more secure system for your card,” Jordan said.
The goal is not campus expansions, Jordan said, but rather a cost of living adjustment.
“We borrowed $100 million to build the recreation center that we will pay off in 30 years, and 30 years from now a future administration will have to decide whether to keep the fee on the bill or not,” Jordan said.
The single student in attendance, Isabelle Wang, said the fee increase doesn’t seem to be “a big deal.”
“Administration says that it would be absolutely necessary to increase fee bill(s) for students, so they’re going to do it,” Wang, a senior double majoring in journalism and economics, said. “The increase for (the) general university fee is $46, and that’s not a lot.”
Naiela Suleiman is a campus correspondent for The Daily Campus. She can be reached via email at naiela.suleiman@uconn.edu.
