Rising natural gas costs are causing students to pay an extra fee this semester.
University officials sent out a broadcast e-mail that said the new energy surcharge was a supplement for the escalating price.
Students may be surprised to find a new charge on their fee bill listed as an energy surcharge. This fee, implemented by the Office of Energy Services, is a $2.50 per credit hour charge up to 12 credit hours, or $30 for every student.
The broadcast e-mail also said the charge would be applied in August 2003 and would not affect the amount due on student’s fall fee bills.
Many students received the charge to their billing statements around Aug. 13, about a week after the fee bill due date of Aug. 7.
“It’s the type of fee they implement when they need to,” said Sandra Walker, director of the Office of Budget and Planning. “It’s not the first time. A $3 fee was implemented in Fall 2001 and then reduced to a $1 fee in Spring 2002.”
Student Government President Allen Richey said he found out about the possibility of a surcharge this summer and requested a broadcast e-mail be sent out to warn students.
“The cost of gas has gone up, and the money to cover our usage had to come from somewhere,” Richey said. “We didn’t have one last year, but two years ago it was as much as $36 dollars a person.”
Richey said the University negotiates a yearlong contract and the best way to combat the new charge is to conserve power.
“If we have to have a fee we wanted to get as much information as possible about conservation,” Richey said. “Hopefully it will be short-lived and we can reduce usage.”
Brett Hebert, a biological chemistry freshman, said he thinks the war in Iraq and a revolution in Argentina, Shell Oil’s main source of crude oil, have caused the increase in prices.
“We need legislation to help with the gas taxes and prices in Louisiana,” Hebert said. “Up North, gas prices are a lot cheaper.”
Director of Energy Peter Davidson said he was unsure if an additional fee would be required in the spring, and urged students to conserve power whenever possible.
“If you leave the room, turn your lights out. And use the power save features on your computers,” he said.
Davidson also said Energy Services would delay startup of many building’s air conditioning and heating units in order to save power in the fall, and urged students to be patient with the University’s efforts.
Davidson said the lighting in Tiger Stadium, which generally increases in the fall, is not supported by the student fee. Tiger Stadium’s bills are billed to the athletic department.