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EDITOR IN CHIEF
Ryan Frank
EDITORIAL EDITORS
Kameron Cole
Stefanie Knowlton
One low payment of only $200
Contrary to the University’s
claims, the new matriculation
fee will do little to ease college
students' financial burden.
It’s new. It’s fast. It’s easy. But few
students will actually save money
with the new matriculation fee.
The fee is designed to combine fees
such as the $100 Intro-DUCKtion fee,
the $5 official transcript fee, the $15 re
enrollment fee, the $25 graduation fee
and the $10 add/drop fee.
The fee requires returning students
to pay $45 and new undergraduates to
pay $150. After a two-year phase-in to
even out the costs between returning
and new students, entering undergrad
uate students will pay a $200 fee start
ing in the year 2000.
However, the harsh reality is that not
everyone graduates, needs an official
transcript, re-enrolls or adds or drops a
class. By using a one-time fee instead of
charging for each item separately, the
University will inevitably over-charge
some students for services they don’t
use. Transfer students may suffer the
most because they will be forced to pay
the same amount as students who have
been at the University for their entire
education. However, students who
make adding and dropping classes a
personal hobby will make out nicely
with the new fee because they will not
be required to pay for each add/drop.
But should the rest of the student body
end up paying for it?
The administration claims it institut
ed the fee because students complained
that the University was “nickel and
diming” them to death. But we believe
the objection students have is that they
pay tuition, incidental fees, Intro
DUCKtion fees and various other fees,
and that services such as graduation,
transcripts, add/drop and re-enroll
ment should be covered by the fees that
they already pay. It is not that students
simply object to paying separate fees
and that a one-time fee makes every
thing better.
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Theadministra
tion, however, likes
fees. They ensure a lump sum
of money that goes unchecked
when you consider that most of the
student body has no idea what each in
dividual fee is for. When you have a
separate fee for each service, students
can decide to use it or not. Take adding
aim dropping classes ior example: it
there is a specific fee for adding or drop
ping, students will take care not to over
use this service. Therefore, they have a
choice to use the service or not. Under
the new matriculation fee, use of
these services will rise because stu- /
dents will have no financial incen
ti ve for restraint. The University will
take this as an opportunity to raise the
matriculation fee to account for in
creased use. And students will have lit
tle say in the matter.
Students need to see where their
money is going, and payment up-front
for services allows them to do that. It
also allows students to monitor in
creases in the costs of particular ser
vices. In contrast, students are not like
ly to question blanket fees when they
know little about how they are spent.
In addition, the whole act of creating
all the fees in order to keep the tuition
low is deceptive to prospective stu
dents. The cost of education is not just
tuition when you continue to add fee
after fee.
Although most students may be se
duced by the sound of one easy, low
payment, they need to consider the
cost of convenience. For most students
it’s not worth it.
n is editorial represents the opinion of the
Emerald editorial hoard. Responses may
Ik sent to ode@oregon.uoregon.edu.
Said
&Done
"I think It's impor
tant we not overre
act”
—President Clin
ton alter Iraq again
refused to hand
over weapons doc
uments requested
by the UN
“I hear laughter
from the left. But I
often hear laughter
from the left.”
—David Ship
pers, the Republi
can's chief inves
tigative counsel, on
the laughtertbat re
sulted from his
praise of the inde
pendent counsels'
treatment of Moni
ca Lewinsky
“Few have ventured
that the president
told the truth, the
whole truth and no
thing butthe truth.”
—Kenneth Starr,
independent coun
sel, during his
opening statement
before the Judicia
ry Committee
“Mr. Starr has cros
sed the line into ob
session."
—Rep. John Cony
ers, D-Mieh., on
Starr's tour year in
vestigation of Pres
ident Clinton
“Ifyourmission is to
entertain ratherthan
inform, then I hope
you’ll goto Holly
wood ratherthan
into journalism."
—Charles Kaiser,
Wall Street Journal
reporter, discussing
the Clinton scandal
in his speech to stu
dents interested in
journalism
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