Stephanie Platt of The Current

SGA President Darwin Butler talks with D. Mike Bauer during a press conference, Aug. 19.

by Joe Harris
senior editor

The Student Government Association held a press conference on Aug. 19 in the student lounge to discuss what has happened over the summer and to inform students of its agenda for the upcoming year.

Darwin Butler, SGA president, outlined four major areas that have come to SGA's attention over the summer and will be on their agenda for this school year. They are planned across the board fee increases; the SGA's mission statement; the parking situation; and student computing fees.

In his speech, Butler said that the University of Missouri system is planning a three percent across the board fee increase each year for the next five years. Butler said that if this fee structure is adopted the UM-St. Louis educational fee would exceed $150 dollars per credit hour, and it still did not mention other fees which will increase by three percent as well.

"The administration is seeking validity in the increases by using an index known as the Higher Education Price Index or HEPI," Butler said. "This index is similar to the Consumer Price Index but is biased in favor of educational institutions."

In the 1999 Educational & Required Fees Study provided by the University of Missouri system's Office of Planning & Budget, HEPI has outpaced the CPI 15 times in the last 25 years. All 15 were in the period of 1982 to the present.

Butler would like the administration to show a comparison between HEPI and CPI. Butler said that way it would be clear exactly how much money the University will lose by not using HEPI.

Ryan Metcalf, chair of the student senate committee, said he disagrees with the use of HEPI.

"They should use an index relating to our lives (as students) instead of just higher education," Metcalf said.

Butler said that the SGA's mission statement is not to be a friend to the administration, but to be an instrument of the student's voice to the administration. Butler said that whatever concerns the students have will become the battle cry for the SGA.

Butler said the relationship between SGA and the administration is like that of management and labor. He said "the administration views the students of this University as disposable credit hours to be billed each new semester" and announced the formation of a student task force to search for a cure to UM-St. Louis' "bottom-line" mentality.

Butler then spoke on the current parking situation. He said the $4 per credit hour increase was "an outrage."

"It took some 30 some odd years to get the parking to $8 and four months for it to increase 50 percent to $12," Butler said. "Regardless to what is being built around this campus, there should have been a gradual change."

Butler said UM-St. Louis is one of only two campuses in the St. Louis areaÑSt. Louis Community College being the otherÑwhere only the students pay for parking. Butler said that on every other area campus, either both students and administration pay or neither pay.

Butler also announced the formation of a group to look into the feasibility of an optional computing fee. Butler said that he and many other UM-St. Louis students compute from home, therefore making the computing fee for these students unnecessary.

Don Driemeier, deputy to the chancellor's office, defended the use of HEPI. He said that HEPI more accurately assesses higher education's current marketplace and the costs associated with it.

"Let's say that the man who loads baggage for TWA has received a three to four percent increase," Driemeier said. "That may be reflected in the CPI. It is not that talent that we are trying to hire in the field of higher education. Salaries for college professors have gone up more sharply in response to this highly competitive field . . . so it is only natural that the HEPI has gone up more rapidly than the CPI."

Driemeier said he disagrees with Butler's assessment on the administration's attitude towards students.

"I would like to see the three components of the UniversityÑthe faculty, the students, and the administrationÑall working toward a common goal," Driemeier said.

Driemeier said that the parking fee increase is to support the building of new garages on the West and East drives. Driemeier also said that he can understand why Butler would draw the conclusion that only students pay for parking, but he said that is inaccurate.

"The faculty and staff here a number of years ago raised dollars into a pool that continues to pay for their parking fees and there have been additions to that pool from time to time," Driemeier said. "So the full time student and the full time faculty member pay approximately the same or make the same approximate contribution to the parking fund."

Butler said that he would like to see documentation of the faculty's parking pool and would like to see a line item-budget on the pool.

Butler said he will go as far as the students want him to.

"You go back to a lot of other schools," Butler said, "you go back to Kent State where it was bloody. Sometimes it's time for people to listen; it's time for them to hear what you've got to say."