Fee frenzy

(In response to Kyle Daly’s Feb. 8 article, “Downtown government first to oppose facilities fee.”)

It was so nice to hear that the Downtown campus voted against the $75 facilities fee.

Senators on that campus who voted for it actually chided those who voted against it, and the vice president told them not to consider survey results that showed students were opposed to the fee.

Why? They say that the survey covered less than 1 percent of the student body and that they receive more e-mails complaining about the facilities than they do about the fee.

Well, as a graduate student (who got his undergrad at this same overpriced university), I say I am against the fee.

I’m sorry no one ever asked me to complete a survey (or I ignored them if they did). I’m sorry I don’t know who my senator is so I can send them an e-mail every time I get upset with the University’s constant cost increases. But I don’t want to pay more, I don’t care what it’s for.

Here’s a list of fees I’m already paying for stuff I don’t use: Economic Recovery Surcharge: $255 (I still haven’t recovered from the economy, despite paying this fee); Health and Wellness Fee $40 (I’ve used the SRC exactly three times in five years, why aren’t these fees optional?); Recreation Fee $25 (apparently I pay to use my free time however I like); Special Class Fees $20 (In not one of my classes has the teacher said, “Don’t worry about paying X, it’s covered by your Special Class Fee); Technology Fee: $50 (I guess this is so that I can continue to use my home computer and personal laptop for everything school-related); Student Program Facility Fee: $25 (What, you mean we already pay a facilities fee?).

I even left out some fees.

We should change the name of the school to Expensive State University.

Alan M. Bird
Graduate Student