THE STAG IS RUNNING...

!RHETT FOR VP!

  (Because he's about RESPONSIVE RESPONSIBILITY)

STUDENT BODY FEES

    As stated in the ASCMC Constitution:

     Student Body Fees are:

     1) The annual dues payable to ASCMC by regular members [that] shall be in such amounts as determined by resolution of the ASCMC Board of Directors and the ASCMC Student Senate Standing Budget Committee and approved by the ASCMC Senate.
    
     2) The Student Body Fees of the regular members  [anyone attending CMC] shall be compulsory and shall be payable at the first of each semester.


     In addition, your Student Body Fees are placed in the ASCMC Student Body Gerneral Fund which constitutes the annual ASCMC Budget, a budget that funds all clubs and organizations on campus.

     Student Body Fees are currently $160 per year ($80 per semester).  That money goes to fund parties, clubs, the yearbook, and other events and organizations.  It is money that YOU are REQUIRED to pay if you attend CMC.  You have no choice.

     And you may have no say regarding a hike in your Student Body Fees if you don't attend the next Senate meeting.  For, at a recent meeting, the ASCMC Executive Board approved a proposal to hike your annual Student Body Fees by more than 20 percent.

     That's right, a hike in an amount of money that you must pay may slip by right underneath your nose. 

     Reacting to this, I proposed to amend the Constitution to allow a campus-wide vote on a hike in your Student Body Fees.  I believe in your intelligence and your judgement.  I DO NOT believe in sneaking a hike in your Student Body Fees behind your back.  I believe, therefore, that you, the students at CMC, should have the final say on such an increase in mandatory fees. 

     Unlike some of my counterparts who hold official positions in the ASCMC, I do not believe that I know better than you.  I do not believe that I am smarter than you.

     I simply believe in the spirit of education.  I believe that if your representatives in student government will take the time to educate you on the issues, you will make wise decisions, you will make the right decisions for yourselves.

     Nevertheless, my proposal for a campus-wide vote on the Student Body Fee increase was summarily rejected by the other members of the Constitution committee.  If you are not a voting senator, you will not have an official say regarding the hike in your Student Body Fees.  But you will have the opportunity to be heard at the next senate meeting (to be held in Bauer Forum at 10 o'clock on Feb. 21). 

     If you are concerned about the financial responsibility of the ASCMC or if you simply want to let your senator(s) know what you think about the issue, I urge you to attend the Feb. 21 Senate meeting.