ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, August 27, 1996 TAG: 9608270115
SECTION: WELCOME STUDENTS PAGE: 51 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG
SOURCE: KATHY LU STAFF WRITER
Every college or university has a different name for it: student activity fee, comprehensive fee or just plain "fees."
At Virginia Tech, it's called a comprehensive fee, and you (or your parents) pay for it each year along with tuition and room and board.
If you've ever wondered what it's for, here is an explanation:
The $631 a full-time Tech student will pay this school year supports five services and activities: student activity fee, athletic fee, bus fee, student health service fee, and recreational sports fee.
"By and large, the comprehensive fee supports those activities that don't get taxpayer dollars," said Landrum Cross, vice president of student affairs. "We want to stay away from investing significant taxpayer dollars into student service facilities."
The fee increased $44 from last year's $587, mainly to cover increases in the athletic, health service and recreational sports fees.
An $18 increase in the health service fee will cover rising operating costs and some of the construction costs of the new Student Health and Fitness Center, scheduled to begin construction this fall. Some of the $22 increase in the recreational sports fee also goes to the new center and to provide more funding for club sports and maintenance of recreation fields.
An extra $4 goes to the Women's Sports Expansion Program of the athletic department to cover additional soccer and lacrosse scholarships for women. Virginia Tech was required to provide the scholarships after losing a Title IX lawsuit that claimed the university did not provide equal athletic opportunities for men and women.
Students have mixed opinions about the fee. Some believe it's a great deal, while others think it should be made optional to full-time students.
"When I saw the price tag for this college, I thought it was great," Freddy Paras, a rising freshman from Falls Church, said. "The tuition and everything made all the other colleges I looked at seem overpriced."
Beth and Clint Holloway, whose son, Clay, will also be attending Virginia Tech in the fall, agreed.
"I think to have a comprehensive fee is better than having everything offered individually," Clint Holloway, a southeastern Virginia resident, said. "Compared to other Virginia schools and some out-of-state schools, I think Tech offers the best deal."
But for students who have to pay their own way through college, shelling out the fee every semester can be irksome.
"I've been here three years, and I've had to pay for it every semester, including summer school. I'd rather pay for it all at once, but shouldn't tuition also cover everything?" Kristin Eadie, a rising junior from Richmond, asked. "Maybe they could make it optional, because I don't use the bus and I don't use the gym here and I know people who don't go to the football games. It's just a lot for college students, especially when you're paying for it yourself."
Lori Martin, a rising senior from Smithfield, disagreed.
"I think it's beneficial, because the health service is free and the bus is there if I ever needed to use it, although I hardly use the bus," she said. "I guess the only problem would be if students don't go to the games. I guess it just depends on what they use, but I basically use the services it covers."
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