Jonah Hinebaugh | The Crow’s Nest
By James Bennett III
When Student Government was informed on Oct. 28 that student fees would increase under consolidation, they were only informed about the local fees, which include the Activities and Services fee, the athletic fee and the health fee.
Nicholas Setteducato, regional vice chancellor of administrative and financial services, returned to SG on Nov. 18 to explain that more changes are coming for students who are accepted or re-enroll after July 1.
Other than the $3.50 increase to local fees per credit hour, there will be additional increases to the transportation access fee, the differential tuition fee and the flat fee charged per semester.
Local fees were initially slated to rise by $120 per academic year. Under the updated fee structure, USF St. Petersburg students who take 30 credit hours a year will pay $525 more than the students who are currently enrolled.
The new fee structure will take effect when the university system consolidates on July 1. The raised price is intended to “equalize” rates on all three campuses to match those of USF Tampa.
Setteducato said the increase in fees won’t be used to subsidize the services offered on the Tampa campus.
“As a matter of fact, I think it will work to the opposite, because in both cases — Sarasota and St. Pete — there (aren’t) as many students, so the need for the increase here is probably even more important,” Setteducato said.
What’s changing
Right now, USF St. Petersburg students are charged $2.25 per credit hour for the transportation access fee. In Tampa, the fee is set at $3 per credit hour.
Setteducato said the increased rate for the transportation access fee should help keep parking rates where they currently stand, and could eventually be used to establish transportation between the three USF campuses.
“Part of consolidation is to be able to give everybody free access to be able to take courses wherever they want,” Setteducato said. “Right now, USF can’t offer that sort of paid for transportation. Maybe over time, that would be something that could be considered.”
The differential tuition fee, which Setteducato said is used to pay faculty members and fund building maintenance, will increase by $11.74 per credit hour. Right now, St. Petersburg students pay $35.14 per credit hour. Tampa students pay $46.88.
Finally, USF St. Petersburg students currently pay a $5 flat fee every semester, which goes toward athletics. USF Tampa students pay $10 for athletics and $7 for A&S in their semesterly flat fees.
When the three USF campuses consolidate on July 1, St. Petersburg students will pay $12 more than they already do per semester.
The local fees are divided among the athletic fee, the health fee and the A&S fee, which is allocated by USF St. Petersburg’s Student Government to fund student organizations.
However, all three campus’ student government organizations will consolidate by July 1. After the centralized student government takes control, regional SG committees will make budgetary recommendations for the A&S funds, and the “federal” student senate based in Tampa with primarily Tampa-based senators will be in charge of the final allocations.
Sarasota-Manatee students, who pay less than St. Petersburg and Tampa students, can expect to pay an additional $650 every year.
Setteducato added that none of the numbers he provided to SG were “set in stone,” but guaranteed that they wouldn’t be increased further.
“The reason why I say they’re not carved in stone is because there’s a lot of stuff that’s been put into this substantive change,” he said. “There (are) approvals that have to take place, and it’s possible somebody along the way may make an argument that one of the (fees) I quoted there can’t be increased.”
So what do we get for paying more?