Representatives from the University Technology Fee Advisory Board (UTFAB) and the Committee for Disabled Student Accessibility (CDSA) presented their fee proposals to the Student Fee Advisory Board Monday evening. 

Blair MacNeil, Chair of UTFAB, and Jason Huitt presented their organization’s proposal. UTFAB asked for no increases and said they were good to stay at their current fee of $25 per semester for full-time students.

MacNeil said UTFAB has not asked for an increase for approximately five years, making it likely that they will have an increase in the future as mandatory costs go up.

“We have been able to avoid those costs due to enrollment increases but we’re cutting it kind of close,” MacNeil said.

Huitt also said an increase in enrolled students has helped UTFAB to pay off mandatory costs, but it is not something they can rely on for much longer.

“With respect to future year increases, it is highly possible that at some point we will have to come back and ask for a fee increase,” Huitt said. “We have continued to rely on enrollment growth but that’s uncertain.”

Other uncertainties for UTFAB include the technology environment.

“Technology changes rapidly,” Huitt said. “We have relied on discretionary funding every year to address needs as they arise in a year.”

MacNeil and Huitt also answered a question on what areas of campus UTFAB covers with funds. The two said places like the Lory Student Center, Morgan Library and general assignment classrooms— classrooms unclaimed by a specific college— are covered.

“We try to use the funds as responsibly as possible so that it has an impact for as many students as possible,” MacNeil said in regards to partnering with specific colleges for funding certain classrooms.

We try to use the funds as responsibly as possible so that it has an impact for as many students as possible,” Blair MacNeil, Chair for the University Technology Fee Advisory Board

Rosemary Kreston represented the CDSA in the organization’s proposal for a fee increase of $2.24. Kreston said this is a result of two new positions CDSA is looking to fill: office manager/receptionist and accommodations specialist.

“These two positions would really help our office do a better job in what we do. Adding another specialist would allow us to meet with many students on a more timely basis,” Kreston said. “Last semester, the specialists that we had were booked in seeing students throughout the semester because there were so many students.”

Kreston said they are currently looking for someone with expertise in mental health, as this an increasingly prevalent issue at Colorado State University.

The office manager is a position also needed to help better coordinate appointment schedules, Kreston said. The increase would help to pay for the currently calculated salaries of both positions. 

The board voted on CDSA, as well as last week’s proposals for the Career Center and the Alternative Transportation Fee Advisory Board (ATFAB). All were approved.

Collegian reporter Charlotte Lang can be reached at news@collegian.com or on Twitter @ChartrickWrites.