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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Increase In College Students’ Fees Higher Than Usual Some Board Members Say Hikes May Become A Thing Of The Past

Associated Press

The Idaho Board of Education has approved dramatically higher fees for college students, but some members suggested such fee hikes may become a thing of the past.

The increases, up to 15 percent in some cases, are higher than usual. The board’s policy is to allow no more than 10 percent. But this year, members acknowledged that the Legislature’s skimpy budget for next year forced them to allow higher increases.

The 1997 Legislature gave higher education a budget increase of 0.3 percent, after two years of spending holdbacks.

The Idaho Constitution forbids charging Idaho students “tuition” to attend the state colleges and universities, but the institutions have gotten around that by calling the charges matriculation, facility and technology fees.

Board member Roy Mosman, who cast the only vote against the fee increases, said, “I want to continue to rachet up the tension.”

Board members agreed there are questions about the fees, and some suggested the Legislature should look at it, if lawmakers are intent on shifting the funding burden to college students.

Member Jerry Hess, Nampa, voted for the fee increases but said it was for the last time. He said the state was taking a “Band-Aid” approach rather than looking at the funding problem as a whole.

Earlier this year, the board authorized Lewis-Clark State College, the University of Idaho, Boise State and Idaho State to exceed the 10 percent fee increase limit. Eastern Idaho Technical College also got a fee increase.

The college and university presidents attributed the need for increases to two years of statewide funding holdbacks.

State law allows institutions to charge a professional fee for programs that result in professional degrees such as pharmacy, law and medicine. The board has allowed extra professional fees in the past only for graduate programs, and Idaho’s architecture program is an undergraduate course. This year, Idaho will be allowed to charge an extra $440 per year for undergraduate architecture students.

Although they approved it, board members worried that it would set a precedent, with similar requests from other undergraduate programs.

“I think we should brace ourselves because they’re going to be coming,” said board member Tom Dillon of Caldwell.

xxxx FEE HIKE Fees at area colleges will increase as follows: Lewis-Clark State College: up 15 percent to $1,868 a year. University of Idaho: up 9.8 percent to $1,942 a year. Idaho State University: up 15 percent to $1,984 a year. Boise State University: up 10 percent to $1,974 a year.