By Lorena NavaSenior Staff Writer
Last month, the Campus Fee Advisory Committee approved the Collegeof Sciences’ request to institute student laboratory fees of a $10minimum to a maximum of $25. There was previously no fee charged tostudents.
“It’s a pretty minor cost,” College of Sciences Dean Thomas Scottsaid. “It’s about the same as the cost of a paperback book.”
According to the Associated Students Web site, the committeeadvises University President Stephen Weber on all proposed fees, thepurpose of such fees and the distribution of the revenue derived fromfees. The committee reviews the reasonability of all fees and seeksconsultation from those responsible for administering fees that areunder review. It then forwards any advice to President Weber. Thecommittee is composed of representatives from A.S., UniversitySenate, Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, Business and FinancialAffairs, and faculty and staff members.
If approved by Weber, the fee will then be forwarded to CaliforniaState University Chancellor Charles Reed for final approval. The feewould be instituted as early as Summer 2004 and will be collectedalong with regular registration and tuition fees. The fee will onlybe charged to those students enrolled in laboratory courses in theCollege of Sciences. The money collected from the fee will be placedinto a separate fund that supports laboratory courses. It will not beplaced in the dean’s general fund, Scott said.
Accordingto Scott, the fee will only be used for one of two categories:consumable supplies and service contracts on major pieces ofequipment used regularly in laboratory classes during the course ofthe semester. Consumable supplies include supplies used duringlaboratory classes throughout the semester. The fees will cover only52 percent of the cost of laboratory courses, Scott said.
Geological Sciences Department Chair Gary Girty said hisdepartment is one of maybe two or three earth science departments outof the state’s public universities to not charge some kind oflaboratory fee. San Diego State’s geological science laboratoryclasses are often conducted out in the field, requiring thedepartment to maintain a fleet of vehicles used for studenttransportation to such excursions. The fee money collected by thedepartment will be used to maintain the field-oriented program, notincrease classroom offerings, Girty said.
“We’ve talked about it for 10 years or so,” Girty said inreference as to how long he has heard talk about a fee increase.
No faculty member has complained to Girty about the fee. Thenominal fee is not expected to affect enrollment into such classes,Girty said. However, the department is concerned tuition increases atthe university level will negatively affect student enrollment inupcoming semesters. Girty said the fact that the fee is now beingproposed at the same time as the College of Sciences deficit and thestate budget deicit is an amazing coincidence.
Earlier this semester, Academic Resources and Planning, a SenateCommittee, found a $1.4 million budget deficit in the College ofSciences. The deficit was caused by a combination of factors,including failing to meet target enrollment projections, as well asan operating budget deficit.
According to Scott, the college has closed its budget deficit byreducing classroom costs through hiring fewer lecturers and havingdepartment faculty teach fewer, but larger sections. Laboratorycourses cannot be more efficient because there are field-orientedprograms in many departments and class sizes must be kept at aminimum for students and professors to successfully interact, Scottsaid.
“We’re very sensitive about adding more fees at a time whenuniversity fees are going up,” Scott said.
