What’s churning:
Updated 5:30 p.m. – The Colorado Commission on Higher Education Friday approved three changes in state policy on student fees in response to a state audit.
Campus fees, along with tuition, have risen steeply in recent years as state tax support of higher ed has dropped. In some cases, fees have been used for campus construction projects, with the approval of students.
An August 2010 legislative audit report raised issues about the fee system, or lack thereof, and the Department of Higher Education last year appointed a committee of campus financial officers and students to study the issue.
That group’s report was presented to the commission Friday. The recommendations, adopted unanimously by the panel, include better classification of different kinds of fees to avoid confusion, regular institutional review of fee balances and creation of clear review policies and improved definition of the student benefit of various fees. Read the full report.
There’s been talk of legislation on fees this year, but no bills have surfaced yet.
The commission also voted Friday to endorse the goals behind Senate Bill 11-126, the proposal to make some undocumented students eligible for resident tuition rates. The resolution took care not to endorse the current language of the bill, but it endorsed every principle in the measure.
Good reads from elsewhere:
- For-profit colleges: As federal rules near, jockeying increases. NYTimes
- Well adjusted: Achievement improves for students involved in social-emotional learning, report finds. EdWeek
- Black and Gold: Questions raised whether black body paint at CU games is racist. Daily Camera