All ETSU students have had to pay higher tuition each year for several years but now some students pay even more.
Last fall, the Tennessee Board of Regents, the governing body for many higher education institutions in Tennessee, approved a $20-per-credit-hour fee for many business classes, that is in addition to the tuition for last fall.
Tuition will almost certainly rise as legislators try to balance the state budget in part by cutting higher education funding.
In the summer of 2002, the TBR approved a $100-per-credit-hour fee for all digital media classes, though enrolled students did not have to immediately pay the full amount and were grandfathered in over time.
Incoming freshmen entering digital media had to pay the full $100.
Both of these fees were proposed and implemented because of the massive amounts of money it takes to run them, especially digital media courses.
Cher Cornett, associate professor and coordinator of the digital media center, said that she was new to ETSU when the digital media fee was proposed. Back then she did not know what the fee would be used for but now she does.
“It’s allowing us to survive,” she said. “I’ve really seen how much it costs to run the program; they weren’t joking when they proposed this fee.”
A lot of the fee goes to upgrading software and the computer labs in the digital media center, which are not useable by the general ETSU population. Because of that technology access fees (or TAF) that all students pay are not available to provide upgrades.
Most of the software programs used by digital media students are programs that most people will never see in their lives.
These programs are mainly animation and digital rendering technologies and cost a lot to upgrade.
Cornett said that a lot of students end up in the gaming industry, thus the programs reflect that.
Hardware is another big chunk of the fee.
“As far as the fee goes, we were behind in upgrading our computers and now we can,” Cornett said.
Digital cameras and studio lights that students can check out also have been purchased, the program has obtained a much larger network server, they can now hire in-house techical support and have bought a render farm.
Chris Vaughn, digital media student, said that a render farm is like a big bank of computers that are used for completing animation projects instead of having to do it on the computers in the labs.
Digital media students, including Vaughn, were at the heart of an anti-fee movement on campus in fall 2002. Now he said that he has mellowed because he can see what the fee is used for.
“I’m a little less jaded about it now because I work in the office,” Vaughn said.
“I know that Cher and the professors here are not just giving us lip service.”
However, Vaughn said he tried to tell people that the fees would not end with digital media. The implementation of that fee would set a precedent for fees in other departments. He may have been right.
Cornett said that special fees are something that is happening in colleges and universities across the country.
The business fee is mainly to preserve ETSU’s accreditation. The College of Business was accredited in 1990. Employers look for that on a resume when making hiring decisions. Basically accreditation means that a degree in business from ETSU is of high quality as long as the school is accredited.
Linda Garceau, the dean of business, along with deans from five other Tennessee universities approved the $20 fee for business, the TBR then endorsed the fee and it was implemented. ETSU President Paul Stanton also approved the fee.
Garceau said that she believes the fee is necessary for students and the success of ETSU’s business program. She said that other administrators and the president thought so too, otherwise they never would have approved it.
“I believe it has moved the program ahead,” she said.
“It has provided a better experience for our students. It has provided an impact this year and you’ll see a bigger impact next year.”
Garceau said that this past year the fee was used to enhance existing facilities such as providing new data bases and obtaining tools that students will encounter in the workplace.
There are other plans also for the money.
“Over the summer for example we are refurbishing about 10 classrooms,” Garceau said. “And Sam Wilson (Hall) will finally have print technology in those classrooms.”
Business majors are divided on the fee.
Sophomore business major Michael Richards said that he does not really like the thought of paying more money and he also thought students were already paying for equipment upgrades.
“I really don’t see why we have to pay that much more,” Richards said.
But he is not completely opposed to the fee if it helps provide current technology he will use in the workplace.
“I think if they’re going to use it for equipment, its worth it to upgrade stuff,” he said. “It will be useful.”
Calvin Williams, who is majoring in business, however, is of a different opinion.
“I feel that the fee is ridiculous for business majors only and it makes it difficult for the working man to get an educatio,” said Williams, a freshman.
Sophomore Jake South said that he will not be concerned with the fee after this semester.
“I’m transferring to ASU because ETSU doesn’t care about its students, so the fee won’t affect me anymore,” South said.
“But they should give students more notice and see how they feel about it, but what do they care, its just more money for them,” he said.
Sophomore Lori Jennings agrees with Richards.
“I have no problem with the fee if it betters the quality of my education,” she said.
Still, students like Jim Nemeth, a freshman business major believe the fee is unjustified and has a punitive taint. He wonders why it is only for business majors.
“I just don’t understand why it is just for business people,” he said. “That seems unfair. I feel like students are being punished for choosing to major in business.”
It should be noted that most of these students have not yet enrolled in courses that the fee applies to.
The basic economic courses taught at the 2000 level are exempted from the fee.
Garceau said that in April the business department will be hosting two forums that students can attend to discuss the fee. The times will be posted in Sam Wilson Hall.
Garceau said that she realized no one likes to pay more money for anything, but the reality of the situation dictates that something be done. This fee was the fairest way to do it.
She said that programs differ greatly in cost across campus. As an example she said that it costs more to teach a three or four hour digital media class than it does to teach a three hour history class because digital media cost is driven largely by software cost.
She said the fairest way to increase funds was to say “it will cost you more to go into a higher costing class.”
It is fairer than imposing that fee on the entire student body and making them pay for education they will not receive, she said.
“It’s a very basic financing decision,” Garceau said.”It’s the rising cost of delivering education. Every year our funding from the state is cut more and more.”
She also said that there were no plans at this time to further increase the business fee.
It all goes back to state funding, she said. And it reflects poorly on the fiscal management of the legislators when they continue cutting higher education.
“I’ve always taught at state funded education institutions, and a responsible state government adequately funds higher education,” Garceau said.

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