Every student pays $696.50 per semester as part of the Student Services and Program Charge — equaling over $7 million for last year’s fall, spring and summer sessions. This weeks editorial talks about where exactly this money goes, as it’s broken down into categories on the Fredonia.edu website (Search: Student Services and Program Charge).
Consider we’re all paying nearly $700 a semester, it’s crucial to make the most of the facilities, programs, events and services that are funded by SA fees and charges.
Some Ways to Get the Most for Your Money:
1. Swim and Skate! Sure, the new fitness center isn’t open yet, but that doesn’t mean that those of us who aren’t athletes can’t benefit from the athletic fee. Students can swim and skate (for free!) for several time brackets throughout the week. (Full schedule details found at www.fredoniabluedevils.com.)
Open ice skating hours have resumed for the season and are as follows:
Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday – 7:30 to 9 p.m., excluding days of varsity home games.
Open swim schedule is as follows, for Monday through Friday:
Open Early Bird Swim – 7 to 8:45 a.m.
College Faculty, Staff and Student Noon Hour Swim – 11 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.
Open Swim – 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.
The full schedule includes bonus open swim times and college family swim hours.
2. Ride the campus community bus. For students who don’t have cars, the campus community bus is a great resource that’s paid for by our student fees. The bus picks up at the Williams Center, roughly every 45 minutes, and drives to the shopping plazas and residential areas. The schedule can be found here in the “students” tab on the university website.
3. DID YOU KNOW that the Student Association offers legal help to fee paying students? The fund from “voluntary fees” includes a $500 bail for a student being held in Fredonia’s police station, as long as it isn’t a student against student crime. (Within 24 hours, the student must pay a fee of $10.00 plus 3% of the bail charge).
4. Use the resources of the Career Development Office. Located in Gregory, the people at the CDO are trained to help you transition from college to career. They will help you find the necessary steps to take to reach your goals, and will even conduct practice interviews for jobs and grad school programs.
5. Go to General Assembly meetings for SA, held every Thursday at 6:30 p.m. (5:30 p.m. this week). This is the best way to have your voice heard and your questions answered. The Student Association votes on yearly budgets for clubs and organizations, and also votes for certain policies on a SUNY-wide level. Come to the general meetings and see what they’re about.
Have you used any of the services provided by the Student Services and Program Charge?
Do you feel like the average student is getting their money’s worth? Comment and tell us what you think!