FAU has been experiencing budget cuts for the past four years, and Mission Green (MGSA) might have a way to help.
The plan is to add a green fee to students’ tuition by 2013. This fee can be used to make FAU more energy efficient by using more clean and natural sources of energy throughout the university. By adding this fee, FAU will be able to pay for things like adding solar panels to buildings on campus. MGSA is shooting for a fee that will charge students $0.50 per credit hour, but first they need to get the Board of Trustees and the Board of Governors to approve it.
Even though adding this fee will increase tuition, MGSA President Kelsey Crane thinks FAU will save money on energy bills, which would help save money in the budget later on. Crane said, “It would be less than $10 for the students’ tuition in total and for such a small fee it would give the university more money to be doing things to try to minimize their costs.”
FAU has already started being more eco-friendly by putting up solar panels on the east side of the Engineering building on the Boca campus. The Davie campus received a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) gold certificate in August 2011, which recognized FAU as a leader in eco-friendly construction, according to FAU True Blue News.
Other Florida universities have already started charging a fee to help build eco-friendly projects. University of South Florida charges $0.75 per credit hour for a green fee. USF also uses its green fee to support students financially through a green jobs fair which offers employment for students helping with construction on campus, according to their website. In 2010, a bill that would allow Florida Universities to charge a Student Green Energy Fund was passed. University of Florida, University of South Florida, Florida State University, Florida A&M University, and New College of Florida sent representatives to the meeting, according to Central Florida Future.
To get this fee approved at FAU, Mission Green needs to talk to a few people first. One of them would be student body president, Ayden Maher. Maher is a chair on the Board of Trustees, and has not heard of any steps being taken to suggest this fee to the BOT, but he fully supports going green.
“I think at a tight time like this, with budget cuts, tuition and fee increases, it might be a little harder,” Maher said about getting the green fee approved. “But I know that as a student representative of the board I would support it and bring it to the Board of Trustees.” The Board Of Governors also needs to approve this fee in order for it to be added to tuition fees.
Sophomore communication major Sarah Suwak doesn’t mind a green fee being added to FAU’s tuition. “We are a new school they should be building green,” said Suwak.
Crane thinks students like junior engineering major Darryl Dieujuste can help with the idea of solar panels on buildings. “I don’t mind [the fee] as long as the increase isn’t too great and I love the engineering building,” Dieujuste said.
In addition to solar panels, Crane believes engineering students have other innovative ideas for a more eco-friendly environment at FAU. “I’d like to be able to have engineering students that have certain ideas to have money for them to be able to do some good research and expand on their ideas,” Crane said. “And really allow FAU to be more progressive in terms of energy efficiency and renewable energy.”
Crane also wants to see more parking spaces with charging docks around campus. She mentioned that there are enough open spaces to have solar panel umbrellas where students can hang out and charge their cell phones, laptops and any electronics.
Crane plans to talk to Maher about the green fee and its benefits for FAU. Since she missed the meeting for fee approvals this January, she has to wait for the November meeting to approve the fee for the next fiscal year. Crane said, “We are just showing support for what is a state wide grassroots movement of students all over Florida universities trying to get their state to become more energy efficient.”
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Steps to get a green fee at FAU
1. Mission Green speaks with FAU Student Body President, Ayden Maher.
2. Maher proposes green fee idea to Board of Trustees.
3. Board of Trustees reviews new fees and votes to put them on the agenda for the Board Of Governors.
4. The Board of Governors discusses new fees once a year in March.
4. By November 2012 the Board of Governors votes on an agreement.
5. By January 2013 the fee is added to tuition and fees.
Eric Lupo • Mar 14, 2012 at 9:48 pm
Alex, Kelsey or Dave, please explain to me how adding solar panels will benefit the students? It may bring down cost for the university, although no proof was given to support that claim in the article, the question still remains. If lower energy costs are achieved, how will that translate into a positive thing for students?
Alex Van Mecl • Mar 14, 2012 at 2:38 pm
Well said, Kelsey. You support the same vision I had for the organization beginning 4 years ago. Stay strong with your pursuits…
AVM
Eric Lupo • Mar 12, 2012 at 12:29 am
I have no problem with an organization trying to further a cause. The problem is that this organization wants me to pay a fee in addition to a likely tuition increase. I’m against raising tuition and adding fees on students no matter how small or large the number may be. Dave, if your a fan of raising tuition and adding fees that’s fine and that is your opinion, but I strongly disagree with you if that is the case. I can deal with not having solar panels because I don’t think they are a necessity.
Dave • Mar 10, 2012 at 2:28 pm
“This reveals a radical environmentalist side to this organization.”
No. shih. it’s. called. Mission. Green.
Of course they’re trying to advance the environmental cause.
Aaron Preston • Mar 8, 2012 at 1:08 pm
Absolutely not. I refuse to pay a green tax to attend university, no matter how inconsequential. We already get hit with enough fees and increases, I want to keep as much of my money in my pocket as I can. If this comes before the Boca House of Representatives I will strongly oppose it and encourage all Representatives and students to do likewise.
Eric Lupo • Mar 1, 2012 at 12:11 am
As an FAU student and the Boca House Pro-Tempore I’m outraged at this. Students tuition will most likely be raised again without the green fee and to think that a group would want to raise it even more is terrible. I understand the fee would not be that much, but in my opinion we should be looking to stop tuition increases no matter how big or small they are. In addition, Mission Green participated in a rally to stop the Keystone Pipeline which could have created a good amount of jobs for a nation that needs them. This reveals a radical environmentalist side to this organization. If this idea is brought up in the Boca House I will strongly oppose it.
Kelsey Crane • Feb 29, 2012 at 8:48 am
Trevor – You are completely entitled to express your opinion that FAU should become energy efficient using their own funding. However, some your claims are completely unfounded and I suggest you do some research on the Mission Green Student Association and the Student Green Energy Fund before you make such strong statement about both, or question my integrity. The idea for the Student Green Energy fund came from a group of grassroots campus environmental activists. There is nothing “phony” about Mission Green, nor do we have a “theology”. We are a student organization working to educate students on local environmental problems and work towards solutions. There are absolutely to administrative ties or anyone pushing us to establish the SGEF at FAU. No administrator has their hands anywhere near my pockets, or anyone else in MGSA. We receive all of our funding from COSO, which is a branch of Student Government. We have to apply to funding and thoroughly justify the use of the money we are asking for and it’s benefit to FAU.
As a student who has been at FAU the last four years, my tuition has increased 60% since I started here. As a double major, I used all my funding from bright futures, so I had to pay my entire tuition on my own this semester. I do not believe the SGEF would solve FAU’s financial issues, especially with the recent budget cuts. It is the job of our state legislature to keep public education at a cost low enough for everyone to have access. What the Student Green Energy Fund would do is provide opportunities for community-led initiatives that would benefit everyone at FAU.
The fee would be set AT MOST at $1.00 per credit hour, which come out to a maximum $18 per semester, which I do not see as a serious detriment to a student’s finance. We are looking at starting with a $0.25 or $0.50 fee, around $4.00 per semester, or the amount that you probably pay for a cup of coffee several times a week. The money from green fees would go into the Student Green Energy Fund. A committee would be created of FAU students and faculty who would receive project proposals from people within the FAU community, and the committee would vote on funding projects.
MGSA is an organization that is active all over Florida, and we have had local small businesses and students come to us with ideas that would reduce FAU’s impact on the environment, but these are costly or would need full time staffing
1. A hybrid solar heating system for the pool at the Recreation Center
2. An industrial compost system for the cafeteria
3. A campus advocacy program to keep FAU grounds free of litter
4. A bike-share program at FAU, where you can have a 24 rental of a bike from the rec center using your student idea for free
The student green energy fund could help fund student research and allow FAU to become a more progressive university, attracting more students and investors.
You should check out how the SGEF would work at FAU and the amazing this USF is doing with their SGEF, check out the USF site: http://psgs.usf.edu/usf-office-of-sustainability/green-energy-fund/.
Trevor • Feb 28, 2012 at 3:47 pm
I support people throwing out ideas, and letting the market decide what will work. But if the school wanted to cut costs, they could invest in something that already reduces energy consumption with their own money.
The problem with Mission Green and their phony enviromental theology is that only ‘good’ can happen comes at the detrimental expense of the person/student, never the University that should run itself. They want to impose a tax on the students who already pay tuition that has increased every year by at least 5 percent, (15 percent in 2010) so that administration doesnt have to cover their tab??? I wonder how many adminstrators have ties into Mission Green and what they support- and whose voice Mission Green advocates.
Students come here to learn first and get a degree. If the University wants to be competitive in having better graduation rates and lower tuition, Administration needs to make their own investment in cost effective energy saving.
Im all for saving money and investing in good ideas that show cost cutting results, but this clearly is has Administration putting their hands in students pockets when they should only check their own. Thats harrasment.