Mandatory Fees Committee: Deadline TODAY!

SGA is seeking two students to sit on UGA’s Mandatory Fees Committee, and it’s your chance to make your voice heard and help determine how much you pay to go to school here.

“The Mandatory Fees Committee is the single most important committee that we as students have a chance to sit on,” said President Josh Delaney. “This is one of the only chances we get to say how much we pay.”

The state Board of Regents requires that students at its member institutions pay mandatory fees to supplement tuition in certain areas. The Regents also require that a Mandatory Fees Committee review any proposal for increases in mandatory fees before they’re submitted to President Adams and the Regents for approval. The committee is comprised of eight people: four upper-level administrators, including Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration Tim Burgess and Vice President for Student Affairs Rodney Bennett, and four students, including Graduate Student President Jason O’Rouke. SGA is filling the other two seats through an application process.

Interested students should want to have a say in where the money they spend every year goes. SGA is also looking to set a new precedent by choosing at least one member of the committee who is hoping to get new experience in a major campus organization. In addition, students who apply know their voice will be heard, as they make up half of the committee. Committee members will be able to represent their opinions through a robust but smooth debate, and students should be able to appreciate that fact.

“It’s an intense process, and meetings can’t be missed arbitrarily,” said Delaney. “It’s a time commitment, but I think it’s worth it.”

This is a particularly important year for the Mandatory Fees Committee, as the Regents declared a moratorium on all mandatory fees for the 2010-2011 school year. As a result, any UGA departments depending on the fee for operation haven’t seen an increase in their budgets since 2009.

“For instance, Ramsey is going to argue that the cost of lights and electricity went up in two years, and they need to increase the facilities fee because of that,” said Delaney.

The application for the Mandatory Fees Committee can be found at SGA’s website. Applications are due in the Center for Student Organizations, Tate 102, by 4pm August 31.

The total amount of mandatory fees for undergraduates can be found at the website of the Bursar’s office. For most UGA students for fall 2010, it is as follows:

Transportation: $103*

Activity: $89*

Athletic: $53*

Health: $191*

Facilities: $80*

Technology: $114*

Institutional: $200

Green: $3

*determined by the Mandatory Fees Committee in accordance with Board of Regents policy