| | Student Fees How many times have you looked at your Bursar bill and noticed a 30 or 40-dollar fee and had no idea what it was for? This has happened to me twice already and I’m only a freshman just starting my second semester. The first time, I actually called the bursar’s office and inquired what the fee was for and why it was charged to my bill.
I was told that the charge was actually a student activities fee that is charged to all registered students. Upon further investigation, I found out that this fee is split among the various school-sponsored groups and clubs to reduce the amount of fundraising that each group must do. That’s when I asked myself why I should have to pay for the annual gay and lesbian dance or the glee club’s trip to Tokyo or even to fund the campus’s communist newspaper when I’m not benefiting at all from these activities. To put it simply, I object greatly to my money being used for certain particular activities.
Around the country others have been in a similar situation and have also wondered why we have to pay and some have taken action. Conservative students and students with strong religious beliefs have taken their battles to court in some states asking why they should be FORCED to fund institutions in which they do not believe and are in no way a part of.
The bottom line is that most of these organizations do not depend upon mandatory student activities fees to survive because the fees are so small and spread so thinly across the myriad of student activities. So I propose that students be allowed to choose which organizations get their 30 or 40 dollars and that if they choose to continue giving it equally to all clubs, including ones they do not agree with philosophically, then more power to them. Because these organizations do not depend on student activities fees to survive, they can certainly survive without them. And if they can survive without them, it’s about time we let democracy reign free on campuses everywhere and stop forcing avid Bible readers to fund gay/lesbian activities, forcing pro-life believers to fund pro-choice groups, and stop forcing Republicans to fund Communists. About NW Advertising Contact NW Get Involved |