Fees, fees, and more fees

One thing that I really can not stand is the outrageous fees that colleges require students to pay. For example, just going over my fees from this semester alone can show why I feel this way. I had to pay an activity fee that was $89, an athletic fee that was $132, a health fee that was $79, RAC and expansion fees that were $134, a technology fee that was $57, and a transit fee that was $35. First off, I do not know what the activity fee is for. Why should I pay an athletic fee when I do not play any sport? I have never gone to the health center, and from the stories I have heard I never will. I rarely use the RAC. I understand the technology fee, but I have never even ridden on one of the transit buses. Not to mention the high cost of books. My books this semester totaled $369.05! In previous semesters my books have cost up to $500! Then at the end of the semester, I sell my books back and get about $50, and that is if I am lucky. All together, that is a total of $895.05 just for fees! This is ridiculous and I think something needs to be done because these fees are what keep a lot of kids from being able to attend college.

There was an article recently in the Atlanta-Journal talking about how Georgia Southern has the highest fees in all of Georgia! We are paying more than UGA and Tech! What is that about? If someone would have asked me what school I thought had the highest fees, I never would have guessed Georgia Southern!

Tuition is expensive all by itself. Are all these fees really necessary?? What about the students who have to pay for school by working at their minimum wage job? Does the university system not think about these things? Ever since I started school, the fees are the one thing that have always gotten under my skin. You don't even want to get me started on textbook prices. Some students are forced to pick and choose between their books because they can not afford to buy all the books they are required to have! All I'm saying is spending over $100 on 1 book and then returning it for $20 should be a crime!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A30151-2004Sep17.html
http://www.maketextbooksaffordable.com/textbooks.asp?id2=14226
http://www.aei.org/publications/pubID.22335,filter.all/pub_detail.asp

Finding a place to park

The Statesboro city council is considering an ordinace that would require all homeowners to park only on pavement in their front yards. The ordinace would also limit the paving of front yards to 25 percent.

I agree that having cars parked in the front yard does not look all that great, but I do not think that gives the city the right to tell homeowners where they can and can not park on their own property. Many people with teenage children have more cars than they do garage space. If this ordinance passes, where are visiting guests supposed to park? What about homeowners who can not afford to add on a garage or pave their driveway?

Council members say they are looking into the ordinace to try and improve property values. I think property value is impacted by many other factors besides whether there are cars parked in the front yard or not. This is a small town and many of the local homeowners have lived here for years and this has never come up before. The parking may sometimes become out of control when college students have parties, but that is just for one night. Would the city rather they park on the road and block traffic? I do not think so, the yard is a much better alternative. I just think it is ridiculous that people may lose their right to park where they want on their own property.

www.statesboroherald.com/news/article/1927/
www.statesboroherald.com/news/archive/1766/
www.gadaily.com/newsite/?page=story&entry=298

Happy Birthday Georgia Southern!

On Monday, the Georgia Southern museum opened the "Centennial Celebration" exhibit. This exhibit tells the story of how First District A&M School was founded in 1906 and how it eventually evolved into Georgia Southern by showcasing pictures, clothing, and other memorabilia. The main exhibit is called "Alma Mater, Dear: 100 Years of Student Life." This is in the front gallery of the museum and it features the original center court circle from Alumni Gym, which was torn down in the 1980s. I think the coolest part of the exhibit is the digital audio recording station. Visiting alumni can record their memories of GSU and the recordings are going to be archived for future generations to hear.

In the back gallery of the museum is another exhibit called "A Century of Progress: 100 years of Innovation and Transformation." This exhibit explains the most significant scientific advances in the past 100 years. I liked this exhibit because it includes children. It allows them to use Morse Code to send a message. They can also paint and conduct a scientific experiment.

But the overall best exhibit was "Southern Images: 100 Years in 100 photos." It is located in the hallway and features many historical photos, which I enjoyed because I love photography.

"1906 Origins: 100 years of Academic Advancement" is a series of 17 banners located all over campus that highlight many important discoveries and achievements that have occured in the classrooms and laboratory during the past century.

Overall, I think this exhibit is worth checking out!

http://www.connectstatesboro.com/show_article.php?article_id=1815

http://www.gadaily.com/newsite/?page=story&entry=322

www.statesboroherald.com/news/article/2021/

Georgia Southern