Hill residents could be in for a fee increase, but moving around existing funds could alleviate the need.
The On-Campus Housing Council recently proposed an increase to the Student Activities fee charged to residents on the Hill.
If approved, the current $27 yearly fee could be increased anywhere from $36 to $54, double what it is presently.
Representatives from each building on the Hill will gather to vote on the proposed fee increase on Tuesday. If the representatives pass the proposal, it will be put to a Hill-wide vote.
The proposed fee increase is an effort to improve funding for activities put on by the housing council and the Office of Residential Life on the Hill. These programs include activities like floor-wide movie nights, Super Bowl parties and a “Pot Party,” which involved painting pots while learning about the effects of marijuana.
Members of the council have said that an increase in fees would help them accommodate more students and broaden the types of programs they provide.
But instead of focusing efforts on this proposal, members of the council should re-evaluate how much they spend on events that have proven to be consistently unpopular.
Many students living on the Hill don’t find the fee increase necessary.
When asked about the necessity of increasing funding for these programs, students often voiced a general disinterest in the content of the programs.
While larger programs, such as trips to the musical “Wicked” have seen a good turnout, many regular programs have proven far less popular, with only a handful of residents in attendance.
Consistently low attendance should serve as a strong message to those in charge of program planning.
Though if the council finds the fee increase to be absolutely essential to improving its programming, the council should keep the increase to a minimum.
This board also urges the housing council, which strives to represent students’ interests, to thoroughly survey the wants of those students that it aims to serve.
The council should also focus its efforts on the current lack of a standardized funding system for floor activities, which the current proposal briefly mentions. As it stands, the allocation system distributes funds unevenly. More populated floors in buildings such as De Neve Cedar and Dogwood receive less money than slightly less populated floors in De Neve Acacia and Birch.
The council should adopt the proposal’s plan to allocate programming funds depending on the number of residents on each floor. This restructuring would allow the council to serve more residents on the Hill without necessarily increasing fees.
As the vote approaches, students should talk to their building representatives and express their opinions on the matter.