Tennessee Tech students will see a $10 increase in their semester student fees as classes begin this week.
Student Government Association Executive Treasurer Brennan Casebier said the change raises the SGA SOLO fund fee from $30 to $40 per student.
“We’ve not been able to fund some club activities that we otherwise would have,” Casebier said, “In my time with the Student Government Association, I’m on my third year uh, in the organization. [05:20] I’ve uh, been party and witness to many clubs that have had either a partial or full denial.”
Casebier said the purchasing power of the original $30 fee, established in 2018, has declined significantly due to inflation. Casebier said the previous funding level would only have the purchasing power of approximately $22.63 by 2026.
“In my time with the Student Government Association, I’m on my third year in the organization,” Casebier said. “I’ve been party and witness to many clubs that have had either a partial or full denial simply because we could not guarantee that their club would have high turnout. And it’s a really hard and painful decision for everyone involved to make to tell clubs that have a lot of active members that have a lot of excitement going on and they want to hold these events, that simply due to funding constraints we cannot fully accept and give them the funding they’re requesting.”
Casebier said the SOLO fund is restricted to supporting events that are held on the Tennessee Tech campus and remain free for all students to attend. Casebier said the funds cannot be used for private club meetings or events where students would be required to pay an admission fee.
“It also as well will help us be able to purchase the time of more and better talent on campus,” Casebier said. “One of the things that the SOLO fund is responsible for that goes into the Super Fund is buying acts and talents for like the SOLO concert that we have every year. And it can be an issue for some students who want bigger artists, artists who might cost a little bit more because they are so wanted right now, they are so desired. And if we have more money in the account to be able to purchase the time of those artists, then we can better satisfy the wants and needs of the student body.”
Casebier said the SGA intentionally kept the increase to $10 to avoid placing an excessive financial burden on students while still providing immediate benefits. Casebier said the long-term stability of the fund will depend on future economic inflation and the responsible stewardship of the funds by the student government.
“I would let them know that at this time we do not have any plans to increase the fee for the SOLO fund,” Casebier said. “And I would also like for them to know that in the Student Government Association in the Senate, we do have senators who are making a push to increase the amount of funding that RSOs can apply for. Currently it’s capped at $2,000 per semester but we do have senators who are wanting to make a push for 2,500. And we also have senators who are talking about having a fixed allocation that goes to each club each semester. So there are things happening behind the scenes and I don’t think that anybody should be alarmed. There is not going to be another increase this year.”
Casebier said the additional revenue allows the organization to provide more complete funding allotments for registered student organizations that host free events on campus.
