Thursday, April 11, 2002

Virginia's Community Colleges Eye Raising Technology Fee to Counter State Cuts By DAN CARNEVALE Students attending community colleges in Virginia will most likely see their technology fees double this summer because of an increase that the colleges' governing board approved to counter state budget cuts. The fee, used to pay for computer equipment and software as well as for Internet services, will increase to $3 per credit hour from $1.50 per credit hour, barring legislative intervention. The State Board for Community Colleges approved the fee increase last month, along with a 9-percent increase in tuition. The Virginia General Assembly will most likely give final approval to the increases when it reconvenes on April 17, observers say. The state's economic woes prompted legislative budget writers to cut technology spending for higher education by 40 percent, resulting in a loss of about $4.5-million for community colleges. But the fee increase should make up for most of that, drawing an estimated $4-million. Karen J. Petersen, vice chancellor for administrative services of the Virginia Community College System, says that if the fee increase were not imposed, students would not be able to use top-of-the-line technology at community colleges. The state board, made up of members appointed by the governor, is usually reluctant to increase students' costs, Ms. Petersen says. But the members supported the $1.50 increase in the technology fee over proposals from the system office for smaller increases. "When the board saw that even with the $1.50 increase we wouldn't be making up for all the cuts, they were the ones advocating for the larger increase," Ms. Petersen says. Members of the state board could not be reached for comment. But Robert C. Wrenn, a board member who has served for eight years, released a statement saying: "I more than anyone have hated increasing tuition. But I think we are at a crisis situation." Deborah M. DiCroce, president of Tidewater Community College, has been meeting with students on the six Tidewater campuses, and she says they support the increases because they understand that the other option is to cut the use of technology at the colleges. "They looked at the implications of the loss of the technology, and they became supportive," Ms. DiCroce says. "Even with the increase in the fee structure, Virginia [community colleges] will still rank among the least expensive among the states." Easy-to-print version E-mail this article

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