The University announced the formation of the Student Tuition Advisory Committee and the Student Fee Advisory Committee last week, in response to student concern regarding the level of transparency surrounding the University’s decision to increase tuition. Both committees seek to increase student involvement, and students can serve on the committees by application. Students also will be asked to participate in a Board of Visitors meeting in June.
Third-year College student Daniel Judge, the student representative of the Board of Visitors, said these committee will be key to expanding the student voice that the Board hears.
“These Committees are important because they further student voice,” Judge said. “We talk about self-governance all the time, but it doesn't accomplish much if we aren't working to expand our representation.”
The Student Tuition Advisory Committee will serve as a forum where students can have open dialogue with the Office of Management and Budget concerning tuition formulation. Students will have the opportunity to communicate directly with the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Pat Hogan, and the Vice President for Management and Budget, Colette Sheehy.
The Student Fee Advisory Committee will be responsible for reviewing proposed student fees and the budgets of units, obtaining revenue from such fees. When reviewing student fee increases, the Committee will consider whether fee increases will benefit the entire student body, whether the unit requesting the fee increase has demonstrated need for said increase or whether there are possible alternatives to fee increases and whether the financial burden imposed upon students due to the fee increase outweighs the proposed benefits.
The Committee will also oversee that the University serves as a responsible user of student fees. Members of the committee will work with Hogan and Sheehy to make recommendations on student fees in advance of the Board of Visitors’ first full meeting of the spring semester, and as often as deemed necessary on other occasions.
Hogan said she saw this as a great opportunity for students to have a greater say in future financial decisions.
“This is a really wonderful opportunity for students to have more engagement on these issues and is another example of the exceptional student leadership at U.Va.,” said Hogan.
In an email to the student body released Friday, Student Council President and second-year College student Abraham Axler and Judge said Student Council has been working with the Board of Visitors member John Griffin, co-chair of the Advancement and Communications Committee, to increase student involvement in University financial decisions affecting students.
Griffin, who was involved in proposing the most recent tuition changes, said he was happy to see an increase in student involvement at all levels of University decision making.
“U.Va. prides itself on student involvement at all levels, and I am happy to see our students identify an opportunity and bring forward a creative approach,” Griffin said. “I appreciate the chance to improve the board’s engagement with them, and I’m eager to learn which issues the students select for discussion.”
Board of Visitors member John Nau, a committee co-chair with Griffin, said he felt similarly, in that the new student committees will increase the degree of student involvement with his financial committee.
“Our student board member does an excellent job of representing student views, and this new effort will help broaden the discussion and decision-making process even more,” Nau said.
Three University students will be present at the Committee on Advancement and Communications meeting on June 11. Griffin said any concerns will then be relayed to the entire Board.
Students are invited to submit a 150-word video description of what they would like to be brought to the meeting. Selected students will be asked to make videos, and the University community will then be able to vote on the top 15 videos. The two students with the most votes will present their concerns at the June 11 meeting with a third, independently-selected student.
The application for both the Student Tuition Advisory Committee and the Student Fee Advisory Committee are currently available online. Judge encouraged students to apply, saying the committees will only be effective if they are made use of.
“These Committees are going to increase the student voice on issues regarding tuition and mandatory fees,” he said. “However, it will be necessary for the committee members to use this position to truly engage the community, if we want to actually remedy any concerns.”
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