REGENTS TASK FORCE
ON STUDENT FEES
Alex
Capdeville, UM Helena COT
Jeremy
Fritz, Board of Regents
Karl
Ulrich, Western Montana College UM
Laurie
Neils, CHE
Lee
Peters, MSU Billings
Marlene
McMillan, Montana Tech UM
Rosi
Keller, UM-Missoula
PURPOSE FOR CHANGING THE STATUS QUO:
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Truth in Advertising
(letting students know up-front how much it will cost them to attend each
campus);
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Clarity and
simplicity of tuition and fee payment;
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Showing the costs of
instruction where they belong � in the current unrestricted operating fund;
�
Better Regental
control and accountability for fees charged to students;
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Better definition of
what tuition and state support cover and what is separately assessed as course
fees.
CAUSES FOR THE PROLIFERATION OF COURSE FEES:
(Chart 1)
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The campuses and
their instructional departments desire to provide a quality educational experience
for students;
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The level of state
support- only a 10% increase over a ten-year period;
(Chart 2, Chart 3)
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An increase in the
operating expenses of instructional departments without an increase in budget;
(Chart 4)
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The desire for a
flexible funding source for operating expenses, which would continue from
year-to-year.
TUITION AND MANDATORY FEES SHOULD INCLUDE:
�
Faculty salaries
(including teaching assistants);
�
All expenditures
related to providing instruction, including guest speakers, tutors, and related
travel and operating expenses;
�
Equipment (including
but not limited to computers, scientific equipment, furniture);
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Repair and
maintenance of equipment;
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Software including
desk top applications (but excluding software students purchase individually
and retain);
�
General,
nonspecialized supplies (including but not limited to paper, pencils, markers);
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General,
nonspecialized operating expenses (including but not limited to printing of
class syllabi and tests).
COURSE/LABORATORY� FEES MAY INCLUDE:
�
Specialized
activities or equipment fees, where payment is made to entities generally
conducting these types of businesses (such as downhill skiing, bowling, etc.);
�
Field trips;
�
Pass-through fees
(such as Red Cross Certifications, Nursing Liability Insurance);
�
Laboratory
consumables, excluding computer supplies and paper products;
�
Materials used by
students to create a product that becomes the students� property after use in a
specific course.
PROGRAM FEES:
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Two-year programs may
assess the equivalent of course fees as �Program Fees� that are assessed on all
students enrolled in a given program.
REVIEW/AUDIT PROCESS:
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A biennial internal
audit of course fees, program fees, and mandatory student fees will be
conducted by each University and forwarded to the Commissioner of Higher
Education and the Board of Regents;
�
Each campus will
establish a review structure, including representatives from student government
and instructional programs, to review new or changed course fees.� This review will be forwarded to the CEO of
each campus.
1. Change the name of �incidental fee� to �tuition.�� This change is important from the aspect of
�truth in advertising.�
2. Course fees will be limited to the specific types defined
above.
3. Establish the review/audit procedure identified above.
4. Increase tuition revenue to replace lost course fee revenues
as a result of the new definitions.�
These tuition revenues should be earmarked for the operating budget base
of the instructional departments impacted by the lost course fee revenues.
5. Collapse the campus bill statements to students to reflect:
a) Total tuition;
b) Total mandatory fees;
c) Itemized other fees.
Although
the Regents expressed the desire to see mandatory tuition and fees collapsed
into one amount, many of the mandatory fees have been pledged to bond
indentures so must be separately maintained.�
Many mandatory fees also have specific use and policies that govern the
assessment and use.� The Task Force
recommends the current matrix remain in place for the Inventory of Fees.
6. Change format of annual Inventory and Validation of Fees:
a) Maintain tuition and mandatory fee matrices;
b) Categorize and group �Miscellaneous Fees� so that all the
course fees are listed and other similar purposed fees are listed proximately;
c) Post schedules to the Regents Home Page on the Web.
7. Campuses must make a good faith effort to communicate their
course fees to students.� Examples
include:
a) Identifying course fees on the Course Schedules;
b) Identifying an average amount students should expect to pay
for course fees, by program, in the Campus Catalogs;
c) Posting information related to course fees on the Campus
Financial Aid Home Pages.
8. Expand the Computer Fee and Equipment Fee Policies to allow
expenditures for operations and maintenance.�
Increase the Computer or Equipment Fees to replace lost revenues from
course fees where appropriate.� (see
attachment)
Implement
changes effective Academic Year 2002.
Put
a moratorium in effect for Academic Year 2001 on new course fees or increases
in the dollar amount of course fees, unless they meet the definitions contained
in this report.
The
reasons for the Academic Year 2002 implementation are:
�
The campuses will
have sufficient time and therefore be better able to analyze how the course
fees currently assessed and the revenue currently generated will be impacted by
the changes in definition. By November 2000, the campuses will bring their
preliminary plans to the Board for FY2002 course fees, tuition increases, and
other mandatory fee increases resulting from their analysis;
�
Allow the time
necessary to make the programmatic changes to revise course fees and changes to
the bill statements.� The people who
will have to make these changes are currently overwhelmed with the Banner
implementation;
�
Provide the campuses
the time needed to plan for and implement the Task Force recommendations.
MONTANA BOARD OF REGENTS OF HIGHER EDUCATION
Policy and Procedures Manual
PAGE:� 940.23�
(1 of 1)
SUBJECT:� FINANCIAL AFFAIRS���������������������������������������������������������� Effective:
November 18, 1999
Section:� 940.23����������� Computer
Fee; Montana������������ ����������������������� Issued: December 10,
1999
����������������������������������������������� University
System
����������� Approved:�
___________________________________________________________________________________
Board policy:
1.�� Each student enrolled in the regular
instructional program (including summer session) at a campus of the Montana
University System may be assessed a per semester credit hour computer fee
consistent with the number of credits assessed for registration and incidental
fees.� The amount of the fee must be
approved by the Board of Regents as part of the annual inventory of fees for
each campus.
2.�� The computer fee shall be deposited in a
separate Plant Fund account and may be expended in accordance with the
following procedures.
Procedures:
1.�� Expenditures shall be made for the purchase
or lease of computer equipment, software, operations, maintenance or
related items which will benefit the instructional program.� Expenditures may not be made for recurring
personal services.
2.��� A president or chancellor may authorize
expenditures from such funds up to $10,000.
3.�� Expenditures between $10,000 and $25,000
may be authorized by the president or chancellor with the approval of the
Commissioner of Higher Education.
4.�� Expenditures over $25,000 shall be approved
by the Board of Regents.
5.�� 10% of all collections shall be reserved on
campus for system‑wide projects for the benefit of all campuses;
provided, however, that these reserved funds may be utilized for campus or unit
projects with the approval of the Commissioner of Higher Education.� The funds may be released by the Commissioner
to the individual campuses upon yearly review.
6.�� Each president or chancellor shall
establish procedures which include a computer fee advisory committee made up of
a minimum of 50% students to provide for student advice in the use of these
funds.
7.�� A report on the use of the computer fee
shall be submitted annually to the Board of Regents.
History:
Item 39‑001‑R0683, Computer Fee, Montana
University System, July 29, 1983 as amended May 3, 1985, June 21, 1991, March
28, 1996, May 22, 1997, and November 18,
1999 (Item 104-103-R0999).
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