Student Affairs Committee, Kenyon Bonner talk student fee changes, new campus recreation and wellness center facility

To Kenyon Bonner, the vice provost of student affairs, “transparency” about costs is important not only in running the University, but also in building the new campus recreation and wellness center.

“We’ve received lots of positive support from our students about the cost and the actual facility. They’ve been engaged throughout the entire process,” Bonner said. “And so we’ve been very clear and honest and transparent about what the building costs, what’s in the building and how we’ll pay for it.” 

The Board of Trustees’ Student Affairs Committee held a public meeting on Friday to discuss increases to certain student fees, as well as implementing a new campus recreation and wellness center facility fee. The fee increases that were discussed included the student wellness fee for the Pittsburgh campus, the student health fee for the Greensburg campus and the student recreation fee for the Johnstown campus. The committee also discussed the elimination of the student health fee at the Titusville campus. Bonner later answered media questions.

The first resolution discussed two increases in the student wellness fee for the Pittsburgh campus. The first fee increase takes effect in the upcoming fall semester. The second increase will take effect in the fall of 2023, and is intended to help support programming in the new recreation and wellness center. Both fee increases include an additional $50 per year for full-time students and $25 per year for part-time students. 

According to the resolution, the first fee increase is to meet the “rising demand” of student mental health resources and to invest in current services, such as medical services, care support services, counseling, psychiatric care, health education and recreation. 

The resolution passed with only one abstention.

Bonner said the fee increase in the fall of 2023 is to hire more staff members for the new wellness facility. 

“The two fee increases help support hiring new staff in preparation for the new center. And so we can’t wait until the summer before to hire that staff,” Bonner said. “We’re hiring about 14 new professional staff and so we’ll begin hiring a good portion of those staff this year, and then the next cohort of staff the following year.”

The second resolution discussed the facility fee for the new campus recreation and wellness center, scheduled to be completed in the 2024-2025 academic year. According to the resolution, the fee serves “the sole purpose of funding the annual debt service” for the construction of the facility. Students won’t see the amount of the facility fee charged to their tuition bills until 2025, or when the recreation and wellness center opens. 

The resolution passed with unanimous agreement. 

Bonner said it was important to “separate” the new facility fee from the current student wellness fee to avoid confusion and create transparency for students, families and the debt service. He said the new fee is necessary to support a new facility. 

“Currently, our current budget model does not and would not support the new facility, the debt service or the increased staffing and operating costs to support a 207,000 square foot facility,” Bonner said. “So it was necessary to go to the committee and seek approval for increasing the fee and creating a new fee.” 

The third resolution discussed an increase in the student health fee at Pitt’s Greensburg campus. According to the resolution, the costs of running the health center “continue to increase,” and the health center is “vital to the community.” The increase will support the cost of a medical record software system, supplies and equipment, a campus physician and counseling center support. The resolution said the fee will increase from $30 per term to $40 per term for full-time students. 

The resolution passed with unanimous agreement. 

The fourth resolution discussed student recreation fee increases at Pitt’s Johnstown campus, which has not increased since fall of 2020. According to the resolution, the costs of running the wellness center “continue to increase.” The resolution said the planned eSports program also requires funding. The resolution said the fee, which is currently $76 dollars, will increase to $90 per term for full-time students. 

The resolution passed with unanimous agreement. 

Bonner said the fee increases don’t apply to part-time students at Greensburg or Johnstown due to the low population of part-time students. 

“The recommendations from those campuses that went through their student governments… did not include a fee increase for part-time students, and that’s typical for those campuses,” Bonner said. “They have a small percentage of part-time students, and historically they’ve not charged those fees.” 

The final resolution discussed the elimination of the student health fee for the Titusville branch campus. The elimination comes after Titusville transitioned to a non-residential campus and student services closed on Aug. 3 of 2020. According to the resolution, the current $50 fee will be eliminated due to the lack of on-site services and the lack of demand for tele-health and tele-counseling services. 

The resolution passed with unanimous agreement. 

The annual Board of Trustees meeting will be held on June 24 at 11:45 a.m. in the William Pitt Union.