Thanks to a proposal by The University of Memphis two years ago, The U of M has a plan to fund the new University Center without any financial help from the state of Tennessee by raising student fees and letting the students pay.
"It's ridiculous," said Linda Dodge, a senior anthropology major. "I think they should take the money from the plasma screen TVs and put that towards the building."
As it stands now, The U of M is using money collected from the debt service fee to fund buildings that house "student activities."
The fee requires all U of M students to pay $16 per credit hour every semester, with a maximum charge of $96 for full-time students.
The debt service fee is an addition to the maintenance fee, facilities fee, general access fee and student activity fee students are already asked to pay every semester, along with tuition.
The fees total $2,542 for full-time in-state undergraduate students and $7,574 for out-of-state undergraduate students.
"The debt service fee is part of the overall maintenance fee," said William Porter, the dean of students. "It is used to pay off bonds on things like the recreation center, the Rose Theatre and The University Center."
With a 13.5 percent increase in tuition this year, the highest in the state, the increasing student fees make it even harder for students to pay for college, said State Sen. Steve Cohen.
"It's not a good situation," Cohen said. "Paying $16 an hour is a pretty stout fee for a student. The state hasn't funded education as it should under the current governor."
Whether the lack of state funding is the cause for the increase in student fees or not, students are still being asked to pay for buildings most will never step foot in.
The new University Center, which will be the largest construction project in The U of M's history funded solely by student fees, is scheduled to be completed sometime in 2008.
"A lot of students may say that they paid for this building but didn't get to use the building," said Jay Andersen, University Center director. "But they benefited from students who paid for the current building. It is a perpetual thing."
The University does solicit alumni throughout the year to donate to The U of M's facilities fund.
Although these donations have helped fund the construction of facilities such as Wilder Tower, funding for "recreational buildings" is left up to the students, Andersen said.
"The University looks at the (UC) as a student building, so it is funded by them," Andersen said. "It is the same in other universities across the country."
Even though The University Center is considered by The U of M to be a "recreational center," the new UC plans call for a larger cafeteria for the privately owned food vendor ARAMARK, as well as several offices for University staff.
"The basis through history in this state is that public funds are used for academic and administrative purposes," Porter said. "The University Center is a recreational building. Buildings like Wilder Tower are considered more administrative."
Although students have funded "recreational buildings" for years at The U of M, the current class may be set for an overload.
Students who attended classes at The U of M during 2001-02 have already helped pay for the Rose Theatre construction.
While The U of M received a $1 million donation from business executive and philanthropist Mike Rose, money received from the student debt fee funded the theater's actual construction.
"Since students paid for the (Rose Theatre), I would have liked to see them get to name it," Andersen said. "But if a CEO comes along and offers a million dollars to name the building, we jump at that."
The practice of charging students for recreational facilities is not limited to The U of M, however.
All Tennessee Board of Regents schools require a debt service fee from its students. Requiring U of M students to pay for extracurricular activities is nothing new, Porter said.
"It is a long standing practice in the state of Tennessee to require the fee," Porter said.
The only remaining question is how much should U of M students pay instead of why, Dodge said.
Middle Tennessee State University, which averaged about 1,000 more in enrollment than The U of M last year, only requires a debt service fee of $7 per credit hour. East Tennessee State University, which averages around 11,000 students a year, charges only $8.
Why The U of M needs students to pay almost a 100 percent more in fees than other public universities in the state is a mystery, Dodge said.
"You got to wonder why we are paying for The UC," said Dina Kineish, a junior pre-dental major. "Why should we have to pay extra for a University building."
While most students may not know how their debt service fee was increased so substantially, the Student Government Association Senate carries much of the responsibility.
"There was a request for the student senate to make a recommendation to raise the fee to $2 million to renovate the UC," Porter said. "The request then went to Shirley Raines, and she sent it to the Tennessee Board of Regents."
Last year's student senate president, vice president and numerous student senators ran unopposed. That is something students in the future may want to pay more attention to, Dodge said.
"It is not fair," Dodge said. "The U of M is spending too much money on stupid things. If they made up for it with better professors, maybe it would be Ok."
