The cost of education is undoubtedly a huge expense for most college students.  It only becomes worse if students believe that their money is being misused for purposes that don't advantage them at all.

There have been several rumors circulating around the UMPI campus lately, primarily concerning these student fees. Many students are under the impression that the fees are being used for things such as personal faculty computers, salaries, or other expenses that provide no benefit to students. The rumors have caused quite a controversy.

            Vice President of Academic Affairs, Michael Sonntag, is responsible for the final decision of how fees are used. Sonntag is not solely responsible for deciding how money is spent. There is an Information Technology Task Force that makes recommendations to Sonntag about what this money should go towards.

            Sonntag addresses the particular rumors by explaining the budget in greater detail. Prior to 2002 there were several different fees that are now combined. The fee in question is the Tech Fee. The budget for the fee this year was $160,000.  Seventy percent of the budget has gone towards student computer lab costs such as equipment, internet, and software.

            Sonntag goes on to further explain the budget. There was money left over from the budget that was used to purchase laptop computers to replace faculty desktops. The laptops are for use in the classrooms in an effort to utilize technology in the class to benefit students.

The changes can additionally benefit students because while tuition has gone up, these student fees have not. Sonntag wished to make it clear that none of the fees have been taken for purposes that do not directly benefit the students. With the current system Sonntag is hoping to eventually even give away used computers to students. After four years of use, computers may still be usable to students, but not efficient enough for classroom use.