Editorial: Base fee on university’s future need

Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2003 | 8:53 a.m.

A new recreation center and an upgraded student union are amenities at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas that a steep hike in student fees would finance over the next 30 years. We see both projects getting a lot of use. The $50 million recreation center would have space for fitness classes, a pool, indoor sports and even a climbing wall. The current student union is underwhelming at best and could really stand the $40 million worth of improvements the increased fees would cover. But a new Corvette is nice, too. The question becomes: Is the expense warranted?

The Board of Regents will debate the question at its fall meeting, which begins today and extends through Thursday. The regents debated the issue at length during their August meeting in Reno and approved the increase. But Regent Steve Sisolak has called for the approval to be revisited, so that UNLV students will have a chance to voice their opinions and consider the big picture. Sisolak isn't sure the students are aware that the rise in student fees over the next five years would occur simultaneously with scheduled tuition increases over the same period. The tuition and student-fee increases would mean students would be paying $3,922 a semester by 2008, a 54 percent increase over the current charges of $2,556.

Student fees alone would incrementally increase from $60 a semester now to $173 a semester over the next five years. The regents are correct to reconsider their approval, which was made more than 400 miles from the campus during a time when students weren't around. They had only a poll taken among the UNLV student body in 2001 on which to gauge student reaction. It's important that students have an opportunity to speak on an issue directly affecting them.

Already, some students are questioning why their fees should increase to pay for something that won't be finished until after they graduate. Of course, those students may not be thinking about the amenities they have now that were paid for by previous generations of students. The regents need to consider student sentiment, but their final decision should be based on what's good for the university over the coming decades.