While the issue of College fees and fines has long been criticized by students, members of a committee looking into the situation are close to making a recommendation that could reduce or even eliminate some penalties.
The work of the committee, however, is kept somewhat secret, and its members were reluctant to give many conclusive details. However, some suggested the committee is heading toward possibly lowering student fines that may exist solely for College revenue-raising.
Neha Shroff '02, a member of the Fees and Fines Committee which is looking into the issue, offered a statement on what recommendation the committee's report will contain, saying she was not permitted to offer more information.
"The committee's report will suggest changes to improve the communications about fines, establish a consistent framework for establishing fines that are necessary, and improve the fairness in the administration of any necessary fines."
The committee hopes to present this report in mid-August, according to several members.
Richard Heck, an executive officer for the Dean of the College Office, admitted that "it's difficult to say at this point what changes will ultimately result from the work of the committee, since we are still in the process of reviewing the various College departments," but added that the intent of the committee is clear.
"We hope to determine what the original purposes of the various administrative fines were and what alternatives, if any, there may be to them."
Summer Student Assembly President Jorge Miranda '01 agreed with the overall goals of the committee, but emphasized more specific changes that need to be made. "Not only do we need to reduce the overall number of fines, but we also need to focus on eliminating specific fines that serve no purpose, such as the fine for not completing the [physical education] requirement by Sophomore Summer."
The practical obstacles to the restructuring and reduction of fining may be more difficult to pass than many have assumed. Many College departments receive significant portions of their budgets from the income they accrue in fines.
"Parking operations, for instance, receives a lot of its money directly from the tickets it issues," Miranda said. "It's almost as if there's an incentive for them to give tickets."
Indeed, one of the Assembly's proposals is for an interdepartment against specific College fines by citing examples of situations in which policies were inconsistent, extravagant, or even totally useless. The result was an avalanche of over one-hundred angry responses.
Students characterized many fines -- such as those issued by Parking Operations, the PE Department and the College Libraries -- as arbitrary, excessive and indicative of the administration's adversarial stance toward undergraduates. The criticisms were at times strong.
"The people who 'run the show' at this college are such greedy, repugnant, filthy pigs that they put the nation's worst loan sharksto shame," wrote one student.
The many complaints took shape in the form of a letter from then-Student Assembly President Josh Green '00 to College President James Wright and Dean of Student Life Holly Sateia. The letter put forward the many student concerns with fining as well as suggested means for improving the implementation of College fines.
The suggestions largely centered upon the key areas of student dissatisfaction, calling for, among other things, the elimination of the sophomore summer PE deadlines and for a reduction of the disparity between student and faculty parking infractions.
The letter also called for an inquiry into a practice not unknown to many departments -- namely, the issuing of fines for the express purpose of raising revenue.
In a letter to Green on the subject of proposed improvements to student life, Acting Dean of the College Dan Nelson detailed the allotment of new moneys for Committee on Student Organizations, the Office of Student Life, and in a single sentence near the close added, "Finally, we've begun the process of reviewing student fines and making plans to address the budget implications of reducing fines in appropriate cases."
Patience has certainly been necessary. Miranda noted, "It's been a long process, but hopefully we'll see some significant changes by this fall.
"The entire administration has been supportive of our efforts," he said. "Especially [College Vice President and Treasurer] Win Johnson. He really understands student concern on this issue."
At the suggestion of both Nelson and Johnson, a committee comprised of four administrators and three students was formed last term to research the possibility of reducing fines.
Terry Kean and James Seidensticker from the Office of the Treasurer, joined Nelson and Heck as the administrators on the committee. The student representatives on the Committee are, Shelley Sandell '01, Shroff and graduate student Andrew Whitney.
