The University has recently implemented a new policy that requires an additional fee for undergraduate students enrolled in Engineering School courses, in order to accommodate for the economic downturn. The fee is $32 per credit, which amounts to approximately $100 for every three-credit course. The additional fee extends to those who are not full-time students of the Engineering School, but who are still enrolled in Engineering School courses, the logic being that they still utilize the resources at the Engineering School and therefore must still pay the fee.
The additional fee was implemented so the University can remain up-to-date on new engineering technology. As engineering technology is rapidly changing, it can be expensive to constantly accommodate changes. The Engineering School’s website explicitly states, “The engineering course fee will be used to expand the quality of the undergraduate academic program in engineering through integration of new, updated equipment and technology, as well as the personnel and materials required to support the laboratory and academic environment.” The fees from this new policy, as well as the additional fee required from Nursing students enrolled in clinical courses, is expected to be $6.1 million total.
The Engineering School does have some valid points in implementing the policy. Up-to-date technology is important so that engineering students have a comprehensive and practical education. The University must accommodate somehow to ensure that the engineering program remains on par with other universities. Furthermore, other universities such as Virginia Tech also have similar fees for their engineering programs.
Yet the policy, despite being well-intentioned, does bring up some concerns. For students who struggle to pay for regular tuition or books, the additional fee could be a financial strain. A student enrolled in approximately 12 credits would pay roughly another $400 under the policy; enough for a couple of textbooks. Furthermore, the additional fee is not taken into consideration for financial aid; therefore, the fees most likely must be covered by parents or the students themselves.
In addition, if the logic behind the policy is to ensure that the technology for engineering students is up-to-date, it would make more sense for only students who are enrolled in engineering lab courses to pay the fee since they will be the ones who mainly use the technology. Or, at the very least, the fee should be limited to individuals who are enrolled as full-time engineering students, rather than any student simply taking a course in the Engineering School.
Third-year Engineering student Leigh Kowalski makes another good point. “It’s such a small fee bunched in to my tuition that I haven’t really noticed or thought about it, especially because I have gained such valuable experience in labs so far in the Engineering School,” she said. “On the other hand, I don’t see why my tuition doesn’t already cover the lab costs because they are such a big part of my education.” In fact, tuition for the Engineering School had already increased this year by 3.7 percent for in-state students and 4 percent for out-of-state students.
I am not an engineering student, nor am I enrolled in any engineering courses. From a relatively objective standpoint, the logic behind the policy does make sense. Yet extending the policy to include all students enrolled in any engineering course seems illogical. The whole situation might have been better handled if there was prior notice that such a policy was going to be implemented, so students at least had some warning, especially students currently enrolled as first years.
Fariha Kabir’s column appears Thursdays in The Cavalier Daily. She can be reached at f.kabir@cavalierdaily.com.
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