College Board Wants More Study of College Fees

By Jeff Amy/The Associated Press

JACKSON — The College Board stalled discussion of a $50-a-semester building fee on full-time students at the University of Mississippi and Mississippi State University, with members saying they want a committee to consider it. However, it appears the proposal will return, possibly as early as next month.

The proposed fee was up for a first reading by the 12-member board Thursday at its meeting in Oxford but was pulled from the agenda Wednesday. Under board rules, tuition and fee increases normally must be considered again at a second meeting before passing.

“The Finance Committee wanted to review it,” said College Board spokeswoman Caron Blanton. “They’ll review it and it will be on the agenda at a future time.”

Part-time students would be assessed lower fees under the proposal, officials said.

The state’s two largest universities said they need the money to pay for building projects. Ole Miss estimated its fee on students on the Oxford campus would generate $1.83 million annually, while MSU estimated it would collect $1.7 million.

Ole Miss said it would use its money to pay for the $50 million renovation and expansion of its 1977 student union. When the plan was approved, Ole Miss said $28.9 million of the total cost would come from future student-fee increases. Ole Miss said it would use the fee money in the future to pay for other student facilities.

MSU said it would use the money to pay for a $37.5 million building with 90,000 square feet of classrooms and a 60,000 square-foot parking garage. Like Ole Miss, MSU said $25.5 million in future student fees would pay for part of the building slated for the center of campus. After that, MSU says it wants to use the fees to renovate the YMCA Building, which includes the campus post office, and for utility upgrades.

Ole Miss spokesman Danny Blanton said officials who could comment weren’t available Wednesday evening. MSU spokesman Sid Salter said that school’s administration didn’t believe it was appropriate to comment because the proposal had been removed from the board’s agenda. He said MSU officials would discuss it when it comes back up.

Typically, the College Board considers tuition and fee increases in the spring.

For the current school year, MSU raised in-state tuition by 6 percent, or $348, to $6,153. In the spring, MSU projected another 6 percent increase for the 2013-2014 school year, which would bring in-state tuition to $6,522. This year, Ole Miss raised in-state tuition by 6.8 percent, or $393, to $6,185. In the spring, Ole Miss projected a 5.7 percent increase for the 2013-2014 school year, which would raise in-state tuition to $6,540.

Though college costs remain lower in Mississippi than in many other states, they have been rising rapidly. Figures from the Southern Regional Education Board show that in 2009-2010, before some of the steepest tuition increases, college costs already consumed a larger share of family income in Mississippi than nationwide.

The fee proposal comes after the Legislature failed this year to approve new borrowing for construction projects, which Higher Education Commissioner Hank Bounds has said increased pressure on the state’s eight universities.

In August, Mississippi State requested 10 projects worth $58.2 million from the 2013 Legislature. While a $9.7 million renovation of the YMCA building was on the list, the new classroom building was not. Similarly, Ole Miss’ 10 projects, worth $95.5 million, didn’t include the student union project.

Categories: Local News

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *