The Student Government Association will ask ETSU administrators to inform students of future program fees, according to a resolution that was passed at Tuesday’s SGA meeting.
The resolution, which passed unanimously with one abstention, states that ETSU administrators have failed to adequately inform students of fee increases and that “student involvement in such matters has been deficient.”
Articles of the resolution are as follows:
* An open forum shall be conducted at least one semester prior to the planned implementation of such fee(s);
* The forum shall consist of the following university officials: president, provost/vice president, vice president for administration, vice president for student affairs, dean of the affected college(s), the SGA president or cabinet member to take the place thereof, and any interested parties;
* All potentially affected students shall be notified before the forum twice, via postal mail, with one notice going to the students’ home address and the second sent to the local campus address;
* The mailed notice shall outline in detail the proposed fee(s), proposed usage of such fee(s), as well as date, time and location of the aforementioned open forum;
* Notices containing date, time and location shall be strategically posted within each academic building on campus, as well as the student center, at least two weeks prior to the open forum;
* An advertisement shall be printed in two separate issues of the East Tennessean, one week prior to the open forum;
* Student input shall be considered upon the final assessment;
* Students must be notified of the final decision.
SGA senators Josh Shearin and Chad Oliver wrote the legislation following concerns about a $20-per-hour fee increase imposed on upper-level courses in the College of Business and Technology last fall.
“I’ve got a lot of friends in the college of business and technology,” Oliver said. “I think the way [the administration] handled the fee was very unprofessional. I just don’t want them to keep doing this without our knowledge.”
“Students need to be involved in matters that have the potential to adversly affect their education,” Shearin said. “I just want students to know what’s happening, have a say in what’s going on and be involved in the process, that’s all.
“I just hope the administration will make an attempt to remember their core customer: the student.”
The business school fee, which has raised some students’ tuition by as much as $300 per semester, was initially contested by the SGA through a different resolution sponsored by Sen. Ethan Flynn and Sen. Nathan Bays in February.
Though Flynn and Bay’s resolution was not passed, it called attention to the administration’s failure to notify students of the increase in tuition, while seeking to eliminate the business school fee and refund students who were affected by it.
“I strongly support this new resolution,” Flynn said. “I think it sends a great message, though I’d still like to ask for our money back.”
The new resolution, however, is limited in its power and does not require the administration to take any action.
“A resolution is a statement of the opinion of the student body,” said SGA adviser, Dr. Sally Lee. “It’s not binding to anyone.”
In other matters, Student Activity (606) fund applications are due on April 8 at 2 p.m.
Any interested organizations can pick up applications in the SGA office, which is located on the second floor of the Culp Center.
The SGA meets every Tuesday at 4 p.m. in the forum of the Culp Center.

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