Students, not trustees seeking new fee at YSU

A $1 per credit-hour-fee has been proposed for Youngstown State University students — by the Student Government Association. That certainly spares us from writing another one of our “What are they thinking?” editorials aimed at the administration and the board of trustees, which are responsible for tuition increases and the expansion of fees.

Now, however, with student government leading the charge, we pose the following question: “Is this the right time to be placing an even greater financial burden on students?”

There are two reasons for our reluctance to endorse the SGA plan: first, even though YSU has one of the lowest tuition rates in the state, the total annual bill is still a challenge for many, considering the region’s economy; second, there is uncertainty over future state funding.

Student government is to be commended for wanting to expand financial support for individual student academic pursuits and student organizations, but its timing might be off.

Under the Student Organizational and Academics Fee imposed on all students, a charge of $1 per credit hour would be levied, up to a maximum of $12 for undergraduates and $9 for graduate students each fall and spring.

Based on the enrollment of about 14,000, the fee could generate $306,000. That is a significant increase from the $31,000 SGA now gets from the university to fund student organization requests for the school year.

The final decision on the proposal would have to be made by the board of trustees, which is in the midst of selecting a new president to replace Dr. David Sweet, who is retiring on June 30.

University’s fiscal health

Obviously one of the board’s committees will have to study the student government proposal closely and weigh it against the overall fiscal health of the university and the ability of students to take on additional financial obligations.

Over the summer, the trustees raised the tuition for undergraduate and graduate students. As a result, undergrads are now paying $6,956 — a $235 increase from last academic year; in-state graduate tuition was increased by $524, to $9,251; and, nonresident graduate tuition went up $524, to $9,451.

The only decrease was in the Western Pennsylvania Advantage undergraduate tuition: From $9,413 to $6,921. The goal is to attract more students from across the state line.

The trustees increased room and board by $310, to $7,400 a year, and the single-room surcharge by $20 to $860 a year.

They also imposed a new fee on junior and senior students attending the Bitonte College of Health and Human Services. The fee amounts to $6.50 per credit hour and is used to defray the cost of purchasing instructional equipment for health-care programs in which those students are enrolled.

And then there are the parking, activity and laboratory fees students have been paying for some time.

It is clear to us that when all the costs are added up, students attending YSU are paying quite a bit, although not as much as what most of the other state colleges and universities are charging.

But as we’ve argued in this space on many occasions, such comparisons aren’t persuasive because the Mahoning Valley’s economy has been in the doldrums for more than three decades.

The discussion by the trustees of student government’s proposal must take place within the context of the university’s priorities — and students’ financial interests.