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News

Senate denounces new fee

SGA unhappy with what Rosen sees as secretive move 
to create $100 re-enrollment charge

by CASEY WOOTEN
The Daily Cougar

The Student Government Association unanimously passed a resolution Wednesday condemning the UH administration's addition of a $100 late registration fee beginning Fall 2007 for students who re-enroll after being dropped from classes for nonpayment. 

The resolution, while acknowledging the need for policies that promote students paying tuition and fees on time, opposes the implementation of the $100 fee, which also applies to students who register late. The resolution also criticizes the lack of student input in the creation of the new policy.

SGA President David Rosen, who authored the bill, criticized the University's handling of the situation and said the SGA is committed to fighting the implementation of the fee.

"We have no other option but to dig in our heels and fight this," Rosen said. 

In his address, Rosen accused UH administration of failing to adequately inform the student body of the implementation of the fee, calling into question its motivation. 

"I have no reason to believe that they didn't want to keep this a secret," Rosen said. 

Rosen and the SGA's primary source of frustration with the administration's behavior was the secretive nature of a memo about the policy. Those who spoke about the issue at the meeting felt the University administration failed to adequately include students in the decision-making process and then failed to inform them of the changes. 

"I'm not sure of a sure-fire way to get 35,000 students to know and understand a complicated policy," Rosen said. "But there are a number of more effective ways than circulating a secret memo not exposed to the students, labeled at the top in bold letters ‘for UH staff use only.'"

Information about the fee came to light when a source, who Rosen said "we will protect and keep anonymous," passed on to SGA an administration memo on changes in late registration procedures to SGA.

The memo, which is also stamped with the word "draft," described the addition of the fee along with several other proposed changes in policy. 

According to the document, students who go into "non-payment" are dropped on the fourth business day before the first day of classes. Students who are considered to have a "paid" status have either paid 100 percent of their tuition, at least 50 percent of their Installment Payment Plan, have taken out an emergency or some other type of loan which covers all tuition and fees, or have been accepted for financial aid.

Rosen said he met with an administrator who said the fee was put in place to help bring the change to students' attention.

SGA Vice President Sam Dike echoed Rosen's calls for opposition to the policy and called upon senators to inform their constituents on the issue. Dike also criticized UH administration's sluggishness in informing student leaders about the change.

"When the University doesn't communicate properly to students on why they are taking certain initiatives or making certain decisions, these types of perceptions can happen and students get discouraged and drop out, or they transfer," Dike said. "And we wonder why people have such a bad perception of the University." 

In other business, SGA student regent Judah Johns said he had spoken with library officials about various changes at M.D. Anderson Library, including changing operating times to 24 hours, fixing broken computers in the computer lab and increasing the number of laptops available, as well as addressing the $20 per hour fee for laptops and power cords that are turned in late. Johns also reported he had asked library officials for an update on creating a café within the 24-hour study area but had received no concrete date. 

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