I-Fee Could Be Significantly Lowered Spring Term
UO students can look forward to a much lower Incidental Fee spring term, and every spring term to follow, if several proposed changes to the Clark Document are approved.
Thanks to a new modeling system, the University can now more accurately project spring term enrollment numbers. ASUO Executive Sam Dotters-Katz is proposing that, with the newly available information, the I-fee be lowered as much as possible every spring term to avoid excess money rolling into the over-realized fund. Current rough estimates place the adjusted spring term I-fee at $84.
The proposed changes will have to pass the desk of President Frohnmayer, who must authorize any change to the Clark Document.
“I’ve talked to President Frohnmayer and other administrators,” said Dotters-Katz, “and they are all very supportive of it.”
Furthermore, another change to the Clark Document is being pushed that will not allow over-realized monies to be spent during fall and winter term. This would, in essence, take a huge chunk out of the over-realized fund that accrues each year, as well as end the spending frenzy that accompanies it.
The ASUO Senate doled out $800,000 in over-realized funds at the end of last school year. There is $775,000 in this year’s O-R fund already. According to Dotters-Katz, future O-R funds would be as low as 25k-75k a year with the proposed changes.
It would also be the first time that the I-Fee has been significantly lowered, well, pretty much ever.
“I wrestled with what to do about this issue all summer,” said Dotters-Katz. “For me, the crux of the matter was to define the over-realized Fund for what it is: the unfair over-taxation of the student body.”
Couldn’t say it better myself. In terms of fiscal responsiblility, this would be a giant leap forward in the way the ASUO collects student money.
