No more FHS; where is the $2 fee now?
The Traveler Editorial Board
Issue date: 10/3/08 Section: Opinion
This March, the UA board of trustees approved a $2 a credit hour raise in students' facilities fee, which possibly could be raised to as high as $10 next semester. Under then Chancellor John A. White, this fee was intended to go toward the purchase of Fayetteville High School and its extensive athletic facilities.
Now, the possibility of buying FHS is no longer an option because the UA's purchase offer expired this July with no action having been taken by FHS.
The Fayetteville Board of Education did not have enough time to make a decision on the purchase, said Alan Wilbourn, public information officer for the Fayetteville School District.
But no matter the reasons, the opportunity to buy FHS is off the table. This leaves the question of, where is that $2 increase now?
UA funds will be refocused on refurbishing buildings on campus that are in need of improvements, said Charlie Alison with UA Relations.
One such building that is in serious need of an update, and has often been overlooked, is Kimpel Hall. The average classroom in Kimpel is outfitted with a hodgepodge of '50s-era chairs and a basic chalkboard, and a few cracks and leaky ceilings aren't hard to find, either.
Worse, almost every UA student can name at least one class he or she has taken in Kimpel, but despite its extensive use, the building remains antiquated.
Walk into a newly built business building, however, and in almost every classroom you can find a modern, interactive screen connected with a fancy computer.
Kimpel Hall isn't the only building on campus in need of a serious renovation, of course, but the prospect of paying up to $10 a credit hour is a significant jump.
Supposing an average of 12 hours is currently taken by all 19,000 UA students, a $10 fee would result in $2.3 million worth of funds.
Granted, UA officials certainly could find uses for this money, and we're encouraged that they're hoping to remodel some decades-old building.
But even though the fee could be put to good use, UA students still should be briefed on where their money is going before a $10 fee is implemented, if that were to ever be the case.
Now, the possibility of buying FHS is no longer an option because the UA's purchase offer expired this July with no action having been taken by FHS.
The Fayetteville Board of Education did not have enough time to make a decision on the purchase, said Alan Wilbourn, public information officer for the Fayetteville School District.
But no matter the reasons, the opportunity to buy FHS is off the table. This leaves the question of, where is that $2 increase now?
UA funds will be refocused on refurbishing buildings on campus that are in need of improvements, said Charlie Alison with UA Relations.
One such building that is in serious need of an update, and has often been overlooked, is Kimpel Hall. The average classroom in Kimpel is outfitted with a hodgepodge of '50s-era chairs and a basic chalkboard, and a few cracks and leaky ceilings aren't hard to find, either.
Worse, almost every UA student can name at least one class he or she has taken in Kimpel, but despite its extensive use, the building remains antiquated.
Walk into a newly built business building, however, and in almost every classroom you can find a modern, interactive screen connected with a fancy computer.
Kimpel Hall isn't the only building on campus in need of a serious renovation, of course, but the prospect of paying up to $10 a credit hour is a significant jump.
Supposing an average of 12 hours is currently taken by all 19,000 UA students, a $10 fee would result in $2.3 million worth of funds.
Granted, UA officials certainly could find uses for this money, and we're encouraged that they're hoping to remodel some decades-old building.
But even though the fee could be put to good use, UA students still should be briefed on where their money is going before a $10 fee is implemented, if that were to ever be the case.
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