The Student Required Fee Committee met Friday and approved a $30 fee increase to fund the University Student Recreational Center.
The Committee’s recommendation will be sent to Chancellor Sean O’Keefe, who must then bring the proposed fee increase before the LSU Board of Supervisors. Only the Board may pass an increase in student fees. The Board meets again on Jan. 17 and 18.
If accepted, the proposal would raise the student fee from $45 per semester to $70. In the fall 2009, the fee would rise to $75 per semester. Summer students also pay a fee of $20, which would rise to $35 in summer 2009.
UREC Director Tamara Jarret, who argued in favor of the fee increase before the committee, was unavailable for comment.
Tricia Milford-Hoyt, UREC assistant director of marketing, said the fee increase is necessary to keep the center out of debt. She also said the proposed increase is unrelated to recent discussions about building a new recreational center on the west side of campus.
“What’s happening with the Student Required Fee Committee is that we’re seeking a fee increase that would cover the operation of this facility,” Milford-Hoyt said. “We basically operate at a loss at this point, and it’s devastating to our reserves.”
The UREC operates primarily from student fees, and enrollment at the University continues to decline.
According to documents provided by UREC, student fees provided nearly $2.5 million of the facility’s $3.5 million revenue for the 2006-2007 fiscal year. For this fiscal year, aggregate student fees are expected to drop below $2.4 million, and by 2011-2012 they are predicted to be less than $2.2 million.
Despite the drop in enrollment, more students are using the facility – and UREC expenses are rising.
Last year, UREC expenses exceeded revenues by about $116,000, and the center was forced to cut into its reserve. The reserve currently stands at about $1.1 million, and it will be further depleted after this year.
According to UREC documents, if the fee is not increased the facility will run nearly $1 million into the red by the end of spring 2009.
Cassie Alsfeld, Student Government president and chair of the Student Required Fee Committee, said the Committee found it necessary to approve the increase.
“You can’t keep the hours that they are keeping and the staff that they are keeping and the services that they provide to students because they are so far in the red,” Alsfeld said. “It was our role to make sure that these student services were not cut because of us being afraid to make tough decisions.”
Though students provide a majority of UREC funding, they are not its sole users. The UREC is also available to faculty, staff, alumni and some affiliates. These users must pay membership fees – greater than students’ fees – to use the facility, and they also face an increase.
If passed, the faculty and staff fee of $90 will rise to $120 by fall 2009. The alumni fee of $135 will increase to $165, and the affiliate fee will increase from $180 to $210.
The fee proposal to the Committee included a comparison of the UREC to facilities at 12 national peer institutions, including seven SEC universities. The University currently has the ninth highest fee among these schools, $69 below the average. The UREC ranks 13th in terms of square feet available per student.