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CBFRC Summary: March 1, 2024

Present:  Lorraine Acker, Eileen Daniel, Peter Dowe, Melissa Feola, Crystal Hallenbeck-McPhall – Co-chair, Michael Harrison, Rachael Killion, Teresa Major, Skye Paine – Co-chair,  Rongkun Shen and Melissa Wight

Regrets: Susan Lowey and Lisa Robusto-Mack 

Guests:  Emily Blackburn, Mehruz Kamal and Darson Rhodes

Welcome 

  • Guests were welcomed for joining the meeting.

February 2, 2024, Meeting Summary

Members were asked to review the meeting summary and to send any corrections to Ms. Wight by March 8, 2024.

Fall 2024/Spring 2025 Course Fee Requests Updates to the Committee

Ms. Blackburn, Dr. Kamal and Dr. Rhodes joined the meeting to answer any questions members had regarding the course fee requests.  The following questions and answers occurred:

Nursing - Ms. Emily Blackburn

  • The question was raised regarding if a student is registered for multiple courses that have the same fee, are they charged once or are they charged a fee for each course. It was stated that they are charged for each course.
  • The question was raised regarding conversations around the institution taking on some of these costs so that they do not continue to fall on the students to pay. It was stated that last year a conversation occurred with Dean Hernandez regarding the undergraduate fee that was increased this year due to the rising costs of supplies. Dean Hernandez stated that he was not able to put into the budget for Nursing to cover the cost of the increase in supplies or the subscription needed for a course, so it would have to be a course fee. Given this information, the graduate courses were looked upon in the same manner.

Cybersecurity - Dr. Mehruz Kamal

  • The question was raised regarding if a student is registered for multiple courses that have the same fee, are they charged once or are they charged a fee for each course. It was stated that they would be charged for each course. There are five courses that requests have been submitted for fees. Two are at the lower division and three are at the upper division. CYB 205 has a prereq of CYB 105, so those two courses will not be taken together. However, there is a chance that they could be taking more than one 400 level class. We anticipate offering two 400 level courses a year. So, at most a student could be charged for two 400 level courses at the same time.
  • The question was raised regarding if the courses could be supported by the campus IT infrastructure for the isolated network connection. It was stated that discussions have occurred with BITS and Steve Cook. They informed Dr. Kamal that the technology fee assessed to all students is for general computing purposes. Not for a specialized subset of students specifically the cybersecurity majors. So, unfortunately, the technology fee cannot cover the needs of the cybersecurity courses.
  • The question was raised regarding if the need for the isolated network was included in the development of the budget for this new program. It was stated that when the initial proposal was submitted, the need for the specialized lab was included. The program was launched last year, and Drake 53 is set up as an isolated lab. BITS has informed the department that the technology fee cannot cover the dedicated internet connection needed for this lab. The connection is essential for cybersecurity students to learn skills such as penetration testing, ethical hacking, and intrusion connection in a closed-off network so there are no disruptions to the rest of the network. To support the isolated network, we need separate connectivity and that is what the course fees will cover.
  • The concern was stated that it sounds like an infrastructure issue that needs to be solved regarding the fact the BITS cannot support the isolated network.
  • The question was raised regarding whether the cost of the isolated network is a one-time or continuous expense. It was stated that it is a monthly fee, so it would be an ongoing expense.
  • The question was raised regarding whether the department has looked into using a cloud as it is a more inexpensive option. It was stated that the department faculty did look into virtual options and most of the options are paid subscriptions. It was determined that the best ideal learning environment is to have this physical setup.

Business - Dr. Darson Rhodes

  • The question was raised regarding the courses that fees are being requested for are not approved yet and what the timeline of approval is. It was stated that course registration forms have been submitted for both fees and we are waiting for the courses to be assigned their numbers. The department is hoping to offer one of the courses in the fall and it has been submitted with the fall schedule. The other course will be offered in spring 2025. Both courses are one-credit courses.
  • The question was raised if both courses would be offered in spring 2025. It was stated that both courses would not be offered in spring 2025. The plan is to offer one of them every fall and then every other spring.
  • The question was raised if the fee for BUS 325 would be reduced to $50. It was stated that the fee for BUS 325 will remain at $80 because it is a three-credit course. The department did want to charge $80 for the new courses, but because they are one-credit courses they did not feel it was appropriate to charge $80 and decided on $50. The cost of the Bloomberg terminals is about $30,000 annually. The funding from the course fees will not come close to covering that annual cost. The dean is actively looking for sponsors for the terminals moving forward. The terminals add value for the students and it is something that we can use to market the business program. We are looking for a way to defray the costs so that the fees are not burdensome to the students.
  • The question was raised regarding if a student was in BUS 325 and one of the new courses in the same semester, would they be charged a fee for both courses. It was stated that the student would be charged for both courses.
  • The question was raised regarding if a student takes a course with the Bloomberg fee in the fall, would they be charged again in the spring if they take another course with the Bloomberg fee. It was stated that the student would be charged the fee in both semesters. The two courses that have been submitted for course fees will provide the student a Bloomberg certification at the completion of the courses.
  • Appreciation was extended for having a reduced Bloomberg fee rate on the new courses.
  • The question was raised regarding if a student is in the online completion program, would the student be assessed the fee for the new courses. It was stated that they would be charged the fee as there is not a current way to differentiate and only charge in-person students the fee. The dean does have a meeting with Bloomberg to see how we can obtain online access. There is an option for online, but it is only sold by per person license as opposed to the terminals that we have on campus. The meeting is coming up in the next week or two. We are actively working on this so that students in the online sections can get access to it. If this is not an option, the department is prepared to pivot and come up with a different plan for BUS 325 students and potentially remove the fee if there is not a way for those students to get access.
  • The question was raised regarding if the removal of the fee for BUS 475 is no longer contingent on virtual access whether it is a possibility or not in the future. It was stated that is correct. It was determined that it was not consistently used in that class, but it is consistently used in BUS 325.

General Discussion

  • The question was raised regarding if the Cybersecurity needs were supported by the institution, what would the annual institutional expense be. It was stated that it is estimated to be $8,400. Concerns were discussed regarding how the technology fee could not cover this expense especially when there is a surplus every year in the technology budget.

Course Fee Rubric

Members reviewed the updated rubric. It was determined that members would individually complete the rubric to fulfill SUNY policy and to have documentation for campus and SUNY inquiry purposes. Members were asked to submit the rubric to Ms. Killion by Friday, March 8, 2024.

Updates to the Committee

SUNY Pooled Offset Discussions

Dr. Hallenbeck-McPhall reported that the discussion occurred at SUBOA, but with no resolution.  Discussions are ongoing at this time.

Comprehensive Fee Discussions

No updates at this time.

FY 24/25 Broad-Based Fee Updates

  • We are still waiting on guidance from SUNY.
  • Dr. Hallenbeck-McPhall will be attending a SUBOA meeting at the end of the month and information may be shared then.
  • We are moving forward at the campus level with our process.
  • There was an announcement today in the Daily Eagle about the Student Fee Forum.
  • The current proposal for fee increases is:
    • Athletics - $25 per year increase.
    • Health - $18 per year increase.
    • Campus Recreation - $10 per year increase.
    • Transportation - $10 per year increase.
  • Presentations will occur on March 8th at the Student Fee Forum and BSG Forum, as well as the JPBC meeting on March 14th. Members were asked to attend one of the sessions.
  • Due to the timeline needed for approvals, members will be voting electronically on whether to endorse or not endorse the fee increases.

Spring Student Fee Forum and Presentation to BSG

  • Ms. Wight reported that communication regarding the fee forum was sent out in the Daily Eagle today and will be sent via email to the student listserv and in the Things to Know Newsletter. We were unable to do the digital bulletin boards and Instagram because we are required to have a designed logo which requires a 3-week turn around for design. The University logo could not be used as a replacement for a designed logo.
  • Dr. Hallenbeck-McPhall stated that there have been questions regarding why we do this presentation as it is believed that other SUNY schools do not. It was discussed and decided that we follow the process to comply with SUNY policy and until otherwise notified, we will continue with our presentation process.

FY24/25 Broad-Based Fee Updates

Dr. Hallenbeck-McPhall met with Dr. Kelly, Dr. Acker and Jackie Clark to determine the direction we wanted to move forward in for the broad-based fees this year. It was decided it would be best to continue our normal process and plan for the increase. If it doesn’t happen, then we know we are not any worse off than where we are now. The HEPI rate was examined and determined that $73 would be available. This amount was divided among a few different fees. Athletics, Student Health, Student Recreation and Transportation were each given part of the increase, but the full $73 was not used. Calculations need to be completed before the amounts can be shared. Dr. Hallenbeck-McPhall and Ms. Killion are working on getting the budget templates out to the fee managers either today or early next week.

Spring Student Fee Forum & Presentation to BSG

  • Feedback received on the forum comment form has been implemented.
  • Hallenbeck-McPhall and Ms. Wight met with Frank Mancini this past week to go over the logistics. With the new Teams structure, there are different options for presenting to the public. We will be utilizing the Town Hall event within Teams. Mr. Mancini recommended we complete some practices first. We will be doing one internally and then one with the fee managers to make sure everyone gets the feel of how it will work.

Revenue & Expense Tracking

Due to the focus on course fees, members were not sent another budget to complete the revenue and expense tracking. Members will revisit this at the next meeting as well as Dr. Rinchard’s feedback on the course fees he presented on.

Summer/Winter Broad Based Fees

Members will review the fees at the next meeting.

Other Items from the Committee

No items at this time.