Fee increase imminent

According to campus officials, Southern experienced a $52 tuition increase in the 2005 fall semester.
“The Louisiana Act No.1117 allows all colleges to increase tuition by three percent. The increase is to cover operational costs and is approved by Legislature,” said Flandus McClinton Jr., vice chancellor for finance and administration. “Operational costs include the continuing increase of utilities.”
Despite the termination of the act last year in July, tuition may still increase for next academic year with Legislature approval. Another reason tuition will increase is the state’s budget reduction due to Hurricane Katrina.
Tuition, however, was not the only increase. There was also a $25 increase in the on the campus residency fee. This was based on the needs of the food service provider (ARAMARK) “to cover the increasing cost to provide food,” McClinton said.
“The University assesses what needs to be adjusted based on these increases,” McClinton said.
The adjustments are then submitted to the vice chancellor for student affairs, system president and the system board supervisors of for approval, he said.
“Other fees increased [are] based on the analysis and determination that an increase of costs or whatever situation may be [requires] the fees to be adjusted,” McClinton said.
Students have voted for some fee increases such as the Internet and cable fee. The increase, which averages out to be $20.50 a year over the next four years, was based on charges by Southern’s cable and Internet provider, Cox Communications.
The most recent student-voted fee was a $5 fee for a student media magazine.
The fee will become imposed the fall 2006 semester.
“As a student, you just have to face the facts that everything, in general, is just becoming more expensive,” said Marian Rice, a sophomore agriculture major from Atlanta. “I can see how this affects the tuition but I just hope the financial aid will increase as much as the fees – “