The independent student newspaper at the University of Illinois since 1871

The Daily Illini

The independent student newspaper at the University of Illinois since 1871

The Daily Illini

The independent student newspaper at the University of Illinois since 1871

The Daily Illini

The independent student newspaper at the University of Illinois since 1871

The Daily Illini

Student fee data shared by pamphlet

The Student Fees ad hoc committee of the Illinois Student Senate is promoting awareness of where student fee revenue goes, this time with the distribution of a student fee pamphlet.

The pamphlet would offer basic information on all refundable and non-refundable student fees the University asks for.

Jake Vermillion, committee chair and student senator, said work is slowly progressing. During their last committee meeting before spring break, he said committee members were discussing background research, as well as what kind of information students would want to know regarding the fees.

Vermillion said the current methods the University offers students to look up student fee data can be time-consuming and difficult to find. According to the Office of the Registrar, full-time undergraduate students were charged $3,272 in student fees for the 2010-2011 academic year.

“It’s a pain on the students’ part to find all this information and not know what to do with it,” Vermillion said.

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The goal of the pamphlet is to make student fee information as straightforward as possible, said Nolan Drea, ISS vice president-internal and committee member. Each fee would get evaluated in the following categories: whether or not the fee is refundable, cost, notable projects made possible with the fee money and the consequences of asking for a refund of a fee.

David Olsen, student body president, said it is very important to know about the impact of student fees. With the cost of education always going up, as evidenced by last week’s Board of Trustees’ decision to increase tuition by 6.9 percent for incoming freshmen next year, he said students should be well-informed on this issue.

“I am glad the committee is working on this project to better inform students of the fees and where their money goes,” Olsen said.

Vermillion said this project was an ongoing effort from the committee to support student opinions on this issue. He noted the Board of Trustees’ decision to not approve a $6 increase to the Library/IT fee as a major victory for the committee and the students. He said it was a combination of the student fee report, student concerns and support from the trustees that helped this proposal be voted down by the board.

“This move by the board proves that student voices are heard, even from as high a level as the trustees,” Vermillion said.

The current plan is to release the pamphlet in PDF format, which would be accessible through the Office of the Registrar and Financial Aid websites. Drea added that if their budget allows, they may look into distributing the pamphlet in print, but it depends on how much the first edition ends up costing.

Vermillion said attaching the booklet to the iBook academic planner was one possibility they were looking into, among other alternatives.

The Student Fee Committee is expected to reconvene this week; committee members are already working on a design template for the layout of the pamphlet. The preliminary draft is expected to be finished in two or three weeks, with the final version expected for the end of the semester.

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