The undergraduate comprehensive fee -- which goes towards technology, transportation, athletics, campus life, and health services -- has been increased by $52.75, bringing the total comprehensive fee to $738.25 per semester.
This year's increase is close to an eight-percent jump in the comprehensive fee. According to Dennis Black, vice president for Student Affairs, the fee usually increases three to five percent annually, but is higher this year due to state requirements regarding salaries and benefits.
"It goes up roughly five percent a year, and that's probably a number people can peg," Black said. "The unexpected increase was the jump in salary and benefits."
Black said in future years the annual increase should stay at three to five percent since the employment contract is for three years. He said, however, that a major construction project like the proposed recreation center would mean an abnormally high fee increase in the near future.
The single biggest increase within this year's fee was $17.50 per semester towards "Campus Life," according to the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs. This increase will support "state mandated negotiated salary and fringe benefit increases" and "recreation/club sport enhancements," including the replacement of the turf in the Old Stadium on Augspurger Road.
Another $8.25 per semester will go towards electronic library resources, such as renewing database licenses and optimizing UBLearns. Over 1,600 courses already use UBLearns, and another 30 percent of classes are expected to use it this fall, according to the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs.
Intercollegiate athletics will receive another $6.00 per semester under the increase, which will help fund Title IX and UB's still-developing Division I athletic program.
According to Black, the fee increase process was based on a dialogue between the SUNY system, UB's administration, and the student governments. "The fees are initially reviewed on campus and then by the state university system," he said.
"After the student consultation process the cost of salaries and benefits went up," he added, "so we had to go back to the student governments to let them know what (those increases) would be, and get feedback."
If the student governments rejected the increase, there would have been a discussion process further explaining the increase, and if the governments still disapproved, then there would be decisions over which services to cut, Black said.
Although the comprehensive fee increase means an increase in the cost of college, UB students seemed receptive to paying the extra money.
"If the fees go back to the students then I think it's okay because you improve student equipment," said Minmin Chen, a freshman psychology major. "Technology is improving every day, then so should the equipment."
Ankit Gulati, a freshman aerospace engineering major, said he thought what students pay for effective services like transportation -- which buses over 2.4 million students each year -- is well worth it.
"Seven hundred-thirty eight (dollars) for the service -- that's good," Gulati said. "But it shouldn't keep increasing."
UB's comprehensive fee may be a long way from $1000, which Gulati said he would be reluctant to pay, but according to Black, there's really no way to stop the fee from going up every year.
"It's either mandated or it's just to keep on going with what we've already been doing," Black said.
Black added that UB's higher fees are part of a problem nationwide. "We're dealing with the same thing (the rest of the country is)," Black said. "The cost of employee's benefits like health insurance and pension contracts are going up by double digits."
Dan Hatem, a sophomore political science major, said he had no problem with paying the seven percent rise.
"UB is the best bargain in public schooling in this country, and no one else is close," Hatem said. "If we want excellence in education, somewhere down the road you have to pay for it."
