The Associated Students Inc. Senate is looking into raising the ASI fee by $16.
At last month’s ASI Senate Meeting, ASI Executive Director Richard Haller described the 2014-15 budget forecast as a “time for tough decisions.”
If the ASI Senate chooses to draft a resolution to potentially raise the fee, a referendum for the $16 fee increase would be included on the spring 2014 ASI ballot.
Cal State Long Beach students currently pay $44 per semester in ASI fees. If students vote to approve the increase, the fee would rise to $60 in fall 2014.
The increase would be used to pay for deferred facility maintenance at on-campus locations like the Soroptimist House and ASI Recycling Center.
Although an ASI Senate resolution has not been authored, we support the potential fee increase, especially if ASI allows students to vote on it.
Students don’t always have a say in fee increases. Take a look at the $79 Student Excellence Fee increase coming this spring.
Students should always have a say in what they have to pay. It’s our money and our campus. We should be able to voice our opinions on where we want our money spent.
According to Haller, the fee increase would be used to help pay for $750,000 in deferred maintenance on campus.
The locations that would be affected by the fee, including the Soroptomist House and ASI Recycling Center, bring much-needed funds back to the university.
Making sure that these locations are fully functioning and up to date is a worthy investment.
This potential resolution, however, would not be the first time ASI has tried raising its fee within the past year.
According to ASI Vice President Jonathon Bolin, the ASI Board of Control passed a similar resolution in April, which called for a $16 fee increase.
The increase was ultimately rejected, though, by the Cal State University Chancellor’s Office because it wasn’t voted on by students.
Why wasn’t the fee voted on by the students last year?
While we support giving students a choice in approving the fee, we wonder why they weren’t given the same opportunity last year.
ASI officials should make available to students an outline of how the proposed funds will be spent.
Although we support paying an additional $16 in ASI fees, we won’t be surprised if the student body isn’t so open to the idea.
We hope, however, that students will pay the fee in order to keep the university operating at its full potential.
If passed, we hope ASI won’t consider raising its fee again in the near future. Students already have enough fees to pay.