Spring Break
Science students may face additional costs in 2007
Lauren Stadler
Issue date: 10/9/06 Section: News
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Recently, many University of Missouri System schools have instated a fee for students with lab classes. UMKC is considering instating this fee as well.
The fee will not raise the cost of all credit hours, but would be a supplemental fee for courses that require additional supplies and money. These courses include chemistry, physics, geosciences, art and communication studies.
Thomas Sandreczki, associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, explains why there is a need for this fee.
"Labs are expensive. [They have] expensive equipment, which needs to be maintained and replaced," Sandreczki said. "These departments are expensive to run. Budgets are minimum or below minimum."
In fall 2006, the University of Missouri-St. Louis started charging a science lab fee of $10 per credit hour. The faculty members at the school are trying to make it clear to students that these additional costs are going toward equipment and supplies they would be using. The money that is collected will not be used in other departments or be held back for future use, according to Sandreczki.
UMKC must submit a proposal for this fee by early November if it wants this to be incorporated into next fall's enrollment fees. The departments that would be affected by these additional costs are trying to gather opinions from faculty members and students. The proposal UMKC sends in must have the opinions of students attached.
In the end, it is the Board of Curators, who look over the opinions of the faculty and students and the need for the funding, then decide whether UMKC will incorporate the lab fee.
Faculty members have been strongly voicing their opinions about the lab fees. There have not been any problems regarding faculty members coming to an agreement on the costs.
"Any dispute is only whether students can bear it [the costs], and our enrollment," said Sandreczki. "If majors are expensive, students may major in something else."
The fee will not raise the cost of all credit hours, but would be a supplemental fee for courses that require additional supplies and money. These courses include chemistry, physics, geosciences, art and communication studies.
Thomas Sandreczki, associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, explains why there is a need for this fee.
"Labs are expensive. [They have] expensive equipment, which needs to be maintained and replaced," Sandreczki said. "These departments are expensive to run. Budgets are minimum or below minimum."
In fall 2006, the University of Missouri-St. Louis started charging a science lab fee of $10 per credit hour. The faculty members at the school are trying to make it clear to students that these additional costs are going toward equipment and supplies they would be using. The money that is collected will not be used in other departments or be held back for future use, according to Sandreczki.
UMKC must submit a proposal for this fee by early November if it wants this to be incorporated into next fall's enrollment fees. The departments that would be affected by these additional costs are trying to gather opinions from faculty members and students. The proposal UMKC sends in must have the opinions of students attached.
In the end, it is the Board of Curators, who look over the opinions of the faculty and students and the need for the funding, then decide whether UMKC will incorporate the lab fee.
Faculty members have been strongly voicing their opinions about the lab fees. There have not been any problems regarding faculty members coming to an agreement on the costs.
"Any dispute is only whether students can bear it [the costs], and our enrollment," said Sandreczki. "If majors are expensive, students may major in something else."
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