Present: Lorraine Acker, Eileen Daniel, Peter Dowe, Crystal Hallenbeck-McPhall – Co-Chair, Mike Harrison, Rachael Killion, Teresa Major, Skye Paine – Co-Chair, Lisa Robusto-Mack, Rongkun Shen and Melissa Wight
Regrets: Melissa Feola, Susan Lowey and Lily Wegerski
Welcome
Last Meeting-Thank you!
Members were thanked for all their hard work this year.
Membership Changes – Seeking Students
Members discussed student representatives. It was asked if a staff member that is a graduate student could serve as the graduate representative. It was agreed that would be the last resort as it would be best to open it to graduate students first.
Schedule
Members agreed that the current day and time would still work in their schedules for next year.
April 5, 2024, Meeting Summary
Members were asked to review the meeting summary and to send any corrections to Ms. Wight by May 10, 2024.
Fall 2024/Spring 2025 Course Fee Requests
Dr. Hallenbeck-McPhall reported the following items regarding the course fee requests:
- JPBC reviewed and endorsed all of the course fees including the Cybersecurity fee. They felt it would be appropriate to charge the fee for the program.
- Cabinet reviewed and endorsed all of the course fees but had a compromise for the Cybersecurity fee. They decided to have the technology fee support the Cybersecurity program for three years while the enrollments build. After the three years, the decision will be re-evaluated and if enrollments are at a point where the campus can charge a fee that will support the network, then we will go through the transition to the course fee and the approval process again.
- The fall 2024 course fee requests were submitted to SUNY. They were due by May 1, 2024. We are just awaiting any questions SUNY may have.
- The spring 2025 fees will be submitted at a later date. We submit one semester at a time because that is SUNY’s request.
FY 24/25 Broad-Based Fees
Dr. Hallenbeck-McPhall reported the following items regarding the broad-based fee requests:
- All broad-based fees were supported by JPBC and Cabinet.
- Cabinet is concerned about the Parking budget and discussed a possibility for parking fees. They do not want to see increases for students. Perhaps faculty and staff fees could be increased. An option discussed was to have a progressive scale based on salary. The revenues are not supporting the expenses and they are using reserves to compensate for the lack of funds. This is not a sustainable option. The feedback from Cabinet was shared with Ms. Frosini and she will look into the possibility.
- The State budget has passed and SUNY’s guidance is that there will be no broad-based fee increases for 2024-25.
- Josh Sager shared that he believes that the comprehensive fee will not move forward this year.
Updates to the Committee
Presentation to JPBC – Broad-Based Fee Concerns on behalf of CBFRC – 5/9/24
The following items were discussed regarding the broad-based fee concerns:
- Dr. Hallenbeck-McPhall stated that a discussion occurred with the JPBC planning committee that there should be more discussion around the broad-based fee budgets because there is a trend of deficits on the horizon. The budgets should be reviewed and recommendations should be made for next actions. She was asked to present at the next JPBC meeting to show a 5-year projection of the fees and what the outcome could be if there are no fee increases and expenses remain the same.
- Concern was stated regarding the fee-based departments being student facing and there are certain programs and services that are expected. This is important to keep in mind when reviewing solutions for the potential deficits as removing programs and services could become a retention issue.
It was stated that another area that could be looked at in these departments is staffing. As enrollment increases, is there opportunity to shift that staffing cost.
Winter/Summer Broad-Based Fees
Students have complained about fees in the summer and winter as students attend online courses. The main fees complained about are the campus recreation and health fees. The following discussion points occurred:
- It was stated that there are online health services students can utilize with telemed and telehealth (mental health) sessions.
- It was stated that the campus recreation fee complaint is something that the OSAA receives even from students that live on campus and don’t utilize the SERC. This is not a usage-based fee.
- The concern was stated that if we start looking at fees based on usage, broad-based fee discussions will become a whole different level.
- The question was raised regarding the BSG summer fee and if the department is functional over the summer. It was stated that the department is here over the summer. They participate in the orientations and go to trainings to prepare for the fall.
- The suggestion was made that the health fee is a flat rate for Winter, is it possible to do the same for summer. It was stated that there is a certain level of service that is required by Hazen and adjusting this fee could impact their budget.
- It was stated that there needs to be a discussion to see if the formula for these fees is still accurate now that we have a robust online course schedule.
- It was stated that research could be done over the summer to see how other SUNY schools handle summer fees.
- For the time being, Dr. Hallenbeck-McPhall will reach out to Mr. Haines and Ms. Kuleszo to obtain a list of services provided so that Ms. Lowey can provide this to the students so they can have a better understanding about what services the fee provides them.
Upcoming Projects for this Committee
ID Card Replacement Fee
Ms. Frosini approached Dr. Hallenbeck-McPhall regarding the fee. She stated that the $25 fee has not been increased in years and there has been an increase in cost of materials and software. Per SUNY policy, we can change the fee locally. It was requested that she puts forward a proposal for the committee to review and we can share our recommendation to Cabinet. It is the President or Presidential designee that can approve the fee increase. It was suggested that Ms. Frosini should present the proposal to BSG Senate to get feedback on the increase. The request was made to inquire if graduate students can be charged a different replacement rate as they do not require the technology to swipe into buildings. It was stated that the request will be made to Ms. Frosini to review but there may be graduate students on campus that need the technology to swipe into buildings.
Nursing Course Fee Review
The review has been delayed until the fall. This will give members more time to analyze the data.
FY 24/25 Annual Report
Dr. Hallenbeck-McPhall will work on the annual report over the summer. Members will review it in the fall.
Other Items from the Committee
No items at this time.