Candidates call for SGA fee increase
Students will decide on the $10 fee increase during Tuesday’s online election.
By Emily Turner
Staff Reporter

Voters will decide Tuesday whether to support a 50 percent increase in student fees, which supporters say would enable the Student Government Association to plan more programming.

Based on the current budget, SGA would receive approximately a $125,000 budget increase if enrollment for next year stays the same. The increase could make the budget more than $380,000.

According to the bill recently passed by the House of Student Representatives, the budget for this year was $255,000. An increase would require approval of the Board of Trustees.

The bill’s author, treasurer candidate Chris Mattingly, said he hopes more students will participate this year in the Nov. 12 online election to increase student government fees, which help fund Howdy Week, Homecoming, retreats and other programming.

Students voted online in the fall of 2001 to increase fees from $20 a semester to $30 a semester. Even though the bill passed by a two thirds majority vote, only 150 students voted, said Mattingly, a junior international finance major.

But the referendum has some opposition among SGA candidates.

Rodney Thomas, a candidate for vice president of the House, said during a Skiff editorial board interview that he does not support the fee increase because he does not believe enough students are aware of the issue. Out of the 10 candidates for SGA offices, Thomas was only person to question the increase.

Thomas, a sophomore religion major, said the cost to attend TCU along with outside expensenses makes college life costly.

“College life is just so expensive and we get all these advertisements in the mail, we pay for parking tickets, and food off campus,” Thomas said. “I think we should keep the student fee the same and we should learn to use the money SGA receives more efficiently.”

Mattingly said a fee increase is necessary because of the expense of events and activities that SGA covers throughout the year. The fee has not been increased in 15 years, he said.

Some students said they would not mind paying more in fees if it means more SGA programming.

“I think it is a small price to pay to help improve events brought to our campus,” said Anna Phillips, a junior marketing major.

In relation to similar schools, Mattingly said the university’s student government fee is low.

Southern Methodist University student government fee is $51.50 a semester. Centenary College is $114 per semester and Wilkes University is $50 a semester.

After students login to vote for candidates, they can vote for or against increasing the fee to $30 a semester.

Emily Turner