Your mandatory EMU and Student Recreation Center fees may be increasing by about $18 a term next year — if the university finalizes proposals made last week to the Tuition and Fees Advisory Board.

At a Jan. 24 TFAB meeting, EMU manager Laurie Woodward proposed raising the mandatory EMU fee to $77, up from the current amount of $70.

The proposed fee increases would help make up for years of overestimated enrollment figures. There were also some university-wide changes to how the school calculates mandatory fees for part- and full-time students, TFAB co-chair and Chief Financial Officer Jamie Moffitt said.

The EMU facility fee, which all students pay each term, covers the cost of the building’s $98 million renovation project, which saw construction start in 2014. At the time, project leaders had initially said that students would be paying an additional $67 fee per term until 2043 to cover the construction, according to the Emerald. The renovation added a prayer room, more meeting rooms for student groups and spaces for local restaurants.

Related: Where do your tuition and fees go?

The Rec asked to raise its total fees to $113.25, an almost $11 increase per term.

The Rec also wants to combine the two fees to simplify the overall billing process, said TFAB co-chair and UO Vice President for Student Life Kevin Marbury. He added that the rationale behind the fee increase request also comes from increasing utility and staff expenses.

The first fee of $64.50 pays the debt incurred by the university from constructing the Rec. Its bond fee of $38 pays off the debt and interest of the center’s renovation, which added locker rooms, a juice bar and gymnasium spaces. (Both fees add up to $102.50.)

The 18-member board first discussed fee changes at a Jan. 17 meeting and will continue hearing out proposals from department heads through winter term during its weekly meetings.

Read the Jan. 17 meeting materials here.

TFAB plans to finalize its recommendations for tuition and fees sometime in mid-February when it will send them to UO President Michael Schill. He will then make a recommendation to the board of trustees in early March.

TFAB meetings are open to the public. Upcoming meetings:

• Thursday, Jan. 30, from 8 to 9:30 a.m., location TBD: Members will discuss undergraduate and graduate tuition proposals.

• Tuesday, Feb. 4, from 8 to 9:30 a.m. in the Johnson Hall Conference Room: The board will continue discussing undergraduate and graduate tuition. 

• Tuesday, Feb. 11, from 8 to 9:30 a.m., location TBD: Members will talk about undergraduate tuition.

• Thursday, Feb. 13, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. in the Johnson Hall Conference Room: Members will finalize their recommendations for President Schill.

• Monday, Feb. 17, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. in the Johnson Hall Conference Room: Members will have an extra session if needed.

The Daily Emerald will continue to report on the tuition-setting process throughout the year. Questions about tuition? Contact Senior News Reporter Ryan Nguyen at [email protected] or Associate News Editor Zack Demars at [email protected].