Dust off the boxing gloves. It’s controversy time. If you’ve attended the University more than a year, you know what I’m talking about: the annual dog and pony show followed by an alley brawl we call the Student Services Fees process. In theory everything’s on the table, from Boynton Health Service to the Women’s Student Activist Collective. What’s crazy is that they let us, plain ol’ students, make all of the decisions. What’s scary is that we apparently don’t want the job.
What’s that? You do care but you’re too busy? That is no excuse. Not only is the fees committee arguably the most powerful body on campus, but the time commitment is far lower than a month’s service in most other public engagement positions. Other than orientation in the fall, the fees committee doesn’t even meet until spring semester. As if you needed more motivation, starting this year they’re offering stipends. You get $500 just for being an alternate!
In 2003 and 2004, total applications for Student Services Fees Committee membership were 38 and 33, respectively. That is a measly 0.00065 percent of the entire student body in 2004. Yes, it’s measured in ten-thousandths of a percent. Surely more than 33 of us care about how our money is spent? In case you’re wondering, you paid $290.82 in student services fees this semester and the estimated total revenue for this year is more than $22 million. Oh, you care now, don’t you?
Granted, undergraduate students seem to care infinitely more than graduate and professional students in recent years. This is exemplified by the fact that not a single graduate or professional student even applied for the committee last year. How can this be? We all pay the fee and frequently identify ourselves as the most financially challenged group on campus. Since we make up a solid one-third of the student population, I’ll set the bar low and hope that at least one qualified graduate and professional student can rise to the challenge of actually applying this year.
In fact, the application pool is so shallow that last year’s applicants had a 70 percent chance of getting one of the 23 slots on the fees committee. I dare you to find those odds for a $500 pot at any casino. Because of this less than ankle-deep applicant pool, candidates with alleged biases were placed on the committee last year for no other reason than a lack of warm bodies to take their place. That situation is unacceptable. There are simply too many qualified, fully objective students among us to rationalize such an outcome.
What does a qualified fees committee candidate look like? Chances are you sit next to them in class. Better yet, you probably stare at one in the mirror every morning. An interest in finance doesn’t hurt, but a liberal arts major can find just as much motivation evaluating all of the arts and culture groups that apply for funding. Insane manipulation of crazy big numbers is a dead ringer for you IT students. But realistically, all that is required is a judicious mind. You’ll get training for the rest.
If you think you or someone you know would make a good candidate, you’re probably right. Just fill out the brief application at www.sao.umn.edu/ groups/funding/fees/ and turn it in before Monday.
Joshua Colburn is a University student and chairman of the student representatives to the Board of Regents. Please send comments to [email protected].
