SUNY students paying more in college fees this semester

Oswego N.Y.– Thousands of students across New York state have had to pay more for their college education this semester. The cost of tuition, room, and board have remained the same for students, but the cost of minor fees at the bottom of the student bill have increased for the first time in years, according to an Oswego Now investigation. These fee increases are slightly different for each SUNY school, but at Oswego State University, students are paying an extra $51.50 this semester.

These increases have been made to accommodate for the increasing costs of running a university, but many students are frustrated that they suddenly have to pay more. “In one sense, it’s understandable because you want to make sure that you are getting good services, but in another sense, it’s frustrating because these fees add up,” said Lauren Printy, a Junior at SUNY Oswego. “At some point you look at the fees and think, ‘do I really need to be paying this?’ or ‘What is the money going to?’”

A SUNY budgetary committee released a statement enabling each SUNY school to double the college fee on the student bill. According to Victoria Furlong, the Vice President of Finance and Budget at SUNY Oswego, each of these schools must submit a plan that outlines what the school will do with these additional funds, and SUNY Oswego has a variety of plans to maintain and improve its facilities.

“The additional funding resulting from these fee increases will continue to support the infrastructure of the institution,” said Victoria Furlong. “It also will support new initiatives related to the health and wellness of the student body both physically, mentally, and spiritually.”

Some of the initiatives in SUNY Oswego’s new budget plan include technological improvements, building renovations, the hiring of a new student academic adviser, the hiring of two additional mental health counselors.