Every semester, GCSU undergraduates pay thousands of dollars in tuition and fees. However, students may not know what their money is funding and what amenities are available to them.
In addition to tuition, undergraduates pay around $750 in flat fees, on top of other fees such as Housing Program fees for undergraduates living on campus and foreign language fees for students enrolled in foreign language classes. These fees are often grouped under broad labels such as “health,” “tech” and “activity” fees, all of which support the everyday operations of the campus.
“We’re getting charged for all of these different things, and we don’t even necessarily use them,” said Kelsey Slinn, a sophomore elementary education major. “If they’re going to continue to charge us for these things, I think it’s important that we try to use them as much as we possibly can.”
The Activity Center Fee pays for the purchase and renovation of the Georgia College Student Activities Center, which includes the Magnolia Ballroom and “The Den,” both used for student meetings and events.
Separate from the Activity Center Fee, the Student Activity Fee funds recreational sports, social entertainment, student publications and Student Government. It also supports campus-wide events and registered student organizations.
Students have access to the campus recreational complex through the Wellness Center Fee, which covers both the operational costs of the center and the bond approved for its construction. The complex includes a gym, climbing wall and swimming pool, which is currently under maintenance.
One of the most controversial GCSU fees is the Parking and Transportation Enhancement Fee, which every student is required to pay regardless of whether or not they have a car registered on-campus. The fee maintains surface parking in addition to supporting campus shuttle services.
“They always advertise that parking is free and then it’s not, and if you don’t have a car, why are you paying for parking?”Slinn said.
The Athletic Fee, the highest of all mandatory undergraduate fees at $181 a semester, funds intercollegiate athletic programs, granting students free admission to all athletic events.
Students also have access to the Student Health center through the Health Fee, which covers operational costs and health education programs. Students who pay the fee can make appointments at the clinic between the hours of 8:15 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday and visit a licensed health professional at no additional cost, given that no lab work is involved.
The fee also supports a part-time Psychiatric Clinical Nurse Specialist for the Counseling Center, where students can access counseling services at no additional charge.
“If you need a prescription or something, they’ll write it for you, for free, and you don’t have to pay to go to Urgent Care or anything,” Slinn said.
The Technology Fee provides funding for technology across campus, including the Library and Instructional Center computer facilities and software, equipment checkout, replacement and expansion of student used hardware and support for technology in the classrooms.
Finally, the Bobcat Card Fee covers annual support and maintenance for the one-card system, which serves as both a university ID and a debit card used for access to buildings and campus dining services.
Regardless of whether students use all the services available to them, it’s crucial they understand where their money is going.
“I think it’s important so students can make good financial decisions and decide an allotted amount of money to put for certain things,” said Madelyn Lowe, a junior middle grades education major. “That might influence the decision of what they want to purchase or what they want to do or what they want to be involved in, because then they know where else their money is going.”
However, Lowe also noted that some fees, such as the parking fee for students without cars and student activity fees, may not be necessary.
“I think you should pay for what you want and not for what other people want,” she said.
According to the GCSU Business Office, these fees are set by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia. However, there is a campus Advisory Mandatory Student Fee Committee that reviews and votes on these fees each year.
The committee, a part of the Office of Student Life, includes graduate students, part-time students, residential students and commuter students.
Any student interested in serving on the committee can contact Fina Endere, the Senior Director of Budget, at [email protected]. Additionally, the Office of Student Life noted that the introduction of new fees, the repurposing of fees, or the increase of any fee by 20% or more must be voted on by a student body referendum.