Questions have been raised about the Kelley School of Business' recent hike in fees for business students, especially concerning why the school's administration did not inform these students about the higher fees. The Business school's administration should have informed students as soon as the fee was raised rather than letting students find the change on their bill. No letters were sent to homes nor e-mail sent to students. Instead, the Business school only updated its Web site for the change as of press time. It seems as if the school's administration tried to raise the fees without students noticing the change until Bursar bills were received. Even seeing the increased fee on the tuition bill would not have been enough warning for students. The increase, which raises the mandatory business student fee from $200 each semester to $415 per semester, is over a 100 percent hike. Some parents and students budget their expenses for tuition in advance -- finding an extra $215 charge on a Bursar bill could mess up plans for some of these individuals. Some other questions about the increased fee have been left unanswered. An e-mail from John Hill, associate dean of research and operations for the school, stated the increase is needed to shore up a budget deficit. "As instructional costs have risen, so has the school's burden in helping to support the campus. Unfortunately, we have not seen an increase in state appropriation to offset these cost increases. This leaves only student fees and tuition to balance the budget," Hill wrote. Speculation from some has students worried that the graduate school construction, which was scheduled to be completed last month, is over budget and is causing the deficit. If these fees are being used to cover the bill for construction -- even if it's not stated directly, but called "enablement technology costs," "business placement operation costs" or "instructional cost increases" -- undergraduate students should not be charged to cover the expenses of a facility they may not use. The business school needs to make sure its undergraduate students will see the changes the administration is promising from the increased fee. Otherwise its enrollment numbers might drop -- and this won't be because of higher standards for student achievement as the school administration thought about applying for acceptance into the school, but because of mismanagement. Either way, the business school needed to inform students about an increase in fees as soon as there was even a possibility the hike would take place. As much advance warning as possible would give students and parents more time to budget and would give the school much less hassle.
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