UB is planning to increase the Comprehensive Fee by 3 percent each year until the 2018-2019 academic year.
The Comprehensive Fee, which was implemented in 1998, allocates money toward different university services and programs. Every year, full-time undergraduate students pay $2,141 for the Comprehensive Fee, which includes the Athletic Fee ($509), Campus Life Fee ($211.50), College Fee ($25), Health Fee ($297), Technology Fee ($728.50), Transcript Fee ($10) and Transportation Fee ($360).
After five years, the fee for undergraduates will collectively be $2,433.50.
Provost Charles Zukoski and Vice President of University Life and Services Dennis Black informed the student body of the increase in an email Feb. 15.
The university accumulated $48,721,000 from the fee for the 2014-15 academic year, according to UB's Office of Student Accounts webpage.
The amount will increase to roughly $56,480,992 by 2018-19.
Graduate students' Comprehensive Fee - which does not include the Athletic Fee and the Transportation Fee - will go up from $1,632 to $1,923.50, according to UB Reporter.
"The proposed increase would support state-mandated increases in salaries and fringe benefits for employees, increased technology and library costs and services, continue to support a portion of the bus contract negotiated in 2012, and central academic investments," Zukoski said in the email.
The increases to the Campus Life, Health Services and Transportation Fees will go toward mandatory salary and benefit increases that are not provided in the university budget, according to the email.
The increase in the Athletic Fee will support the increasing costs of team travel and operational contractual increases, Zukoski said.
The email also stated the Technology Fee will address costs in insuring electronic materials on campus, accounting for the inflation of contractual increases for campus software and hardware licenses and upgrading classroom technology.
Students can apply for a waiver for the Health Services, Transportation, Campus Life and Athletic Fees. The College Fee, Technology Fee and Transcript Fee cannot be waived. In order to qualify for the waiver, a student must be enrolled in classes that take place outside of university grounds and must not have a parking permit.
Students can email their comments about the proposed increases to Zukoski and Black until Feb. 28. UB is also conducting a survey for students and will share the results on the Comprehensive Fee website.
Zukoski was unable to comment by the time of press.
email: news@ubspectrum.com
