LCSC student group eyes fee changes

The Associated Students of Lewis-Clark State College held a meeting Thursday to discuss two proposed changes to student fees in the 2019-20 school year, one of which would be used to finance a new student recreation and wellness center on campus.

The proposed fee of $17 per semester for full-time students and $3 for part-time students would generate money for the planning phases of the center.

The approach has been used in the past to construct buildings on campus, according to student government President Sam Weeks.

“We think it’s a good avenue to pursue,” Weeks said.

The second change student government proposed was combining the fees of the campus newspaper the Pathfinder, radio station KLCZ and the student literary publication Talking River into one bucket. The three entities combined charge $11.25 in fees, which support the programs.

“It’s the same dollar amount they all individually accumulate,” Weeks said. “Our rationale is we think this would better support these programs as they ebb and flow in engagement.”

Several at the meeting voiced concerns about how the money would be allocated to the three entities. Those decisions would be made by the communications board, which oversees the media publications, according to student Sen. AJ Baron.

Gordon Cox, assistant manager of the radio station, spoke against the proposal.

“One thing I found very rewarding was learning to lead those kinds of programs, to have the personal investment and to put in time outside of what is required to make a difference,” Cox said. “I guess I’m worried this change will affect the personal student investment in each of the programs and it will also kind of push some of the responsibility to the communications board, where before one or two people could step up and make a big difference.”

Pathfinder adviser Amy Minervini also expressed concerns.

“I can see the rationale because certainly each department has had downtimes, but at the same time part of the groups, clubs and organizations is you can take risks and fail and it’s OK because it’s a supportive environment,” Minervini said. “Combining (the fees) all together makes it a little dog-eat-dog and competitive. It does change the dynamic a bit.”

LCSC administration will consider the student government’s proposals and the comments garnered during the meeting as they work to create their own proposal, which will be presented at 3 p.m. March 6 in Room 115 of Sacajawea Hall. Staff will use feedback from the hearing to develop their final proposal, which will be presented to the Idaho State Board of Education at its Moscow-based meeting in April for approval.

Full-time students at LCSC pay $528 in fees per semester to support items like student health services, counseling and athletics. The fees are rolled into a student’s tuition cost.

Other recommendations that were presented to the student government by various departments but did not receive support included:

A $12.25 increase to athletics to be used for Title IX compliance and to support the future of additional women’s athletic programs.

A $30 increase to student activities for a new position, co-curricular software, and adviser and coach stipends.

An $11 increase to the Warrior Entertainment Board for programming.

Tomtas may be contacted at jtomtas@lmtribune.com or at (208) 848-2294. Follow her on Twitter @jtomtas.