Students at Ohio University are constantly logging on to the university’s wireless network and pounding away on various keyboards throughout campus, but personal costs vary depending on a student’s college.
Students enrolled at OU are required to pay the Technology Fee and the Student Information System and Network Fee, according to Office of the Bursar website.
Technology fees vary based on a student’s program and number of credit hours, in addition to the student’s Ohio residency status.
Chad Mitchell, director of budget planning and analysis, said the fees are based on credit hours, rather than a set fee, to reduce the cost for students.
“In terms of why the cost varies from college to college, different colleges have different technology needs,” he said, “and some are more expensive than others, so the students have to pay an extra cost.”
The cheapest Technology Fee is for an undergraduate student enrolled in 1 credit hour in the College of Arts and Sciences. That student would pay $3 per semester. As for the most expensive, an undergraduate student enrolled in 12 to 20 credit hours in the Scripps College of Communication pays $127 per semester.
Other universities don’t scale their prices based on program of study.
On-campus Miami University students pay $228; Bowling Green State University students pay $100; and University of Akron students pay $13.20 per credit hour for undergraduates and $16.25 per credit hour for graduate and law students.
Information Technology Communications Manager Sean O’Malley said it is important to distinguish between the Technology Fee and the SIS and Network line-item fee.
“In a nutshell, the SIS fee helps pay for both the wired and wireless network upgrades and the PeopleSoft software that supports day-to-day function in Admissions, Financial Aid, the Bursar’s Office and the Registrar,” O’Malley said. “So anytime you connect to the Ohio data network, log in to the new wireless, register for classes, pay a bill or apply for financial aid, you are benefitting directly from the services covered by that fee.”
Undergraduate and graduate students at OU pay between $3 and $33 for the SIS and Network Fee, based on credit hours.
As for the Technology Fee, O’Malley said it is college-based, with each college at OU deciding independently how that money is spent.
Mitchell said examples of the Technology Fee at use include computer labs and paying technology technicians to ensure the labs are working.
“Some colleges at OU have unique technology needs related to instruction, and this could be one of the Technology Fee’s significant uses,” he said.
The Scripps College of Communication pays the highest ratio for undergraduate technology fees, but Scott Titsworth, interim dean said the Technology Fee covers many aspects in the college.
“We have a committee that oversees expenditures for the Technology Fee,” Titsworth said. “Historically, the way the money has been used is for lab and classroom expenditures; for example, we have a number of specialized labs related to media production, and the technology fee goes into those.”
A plurality of the classrooms in Scripps Hall are classified as “Smart Classrooms,” because they offer computer use and multimedia opportunities, Titsworth said.
“There is no question, our technology package is light-years ahead of other colleges’,” he said. “We are able to stay up-to-date, and I am proud to be at OU, because we know walking into any given classroom, there is a standard technology package that we are able to use thanks to the Technology Fee, which helps fund those labs and classrooms.”
bc822010@ohiou.edu
