SUNDAY 4TH SEPTEMBER, 2016 – UWI TODAY
7
CAMPUS NEWS
TWO-PART PAYMENT FOR STUDENT AMENITIES FEE
Following the announcement
of the introduction of the Student
Amenities Fee for the academic year 2016/2017 on August 16,
administration atThe UWI St. Augustine Campus noted concerns
from students on the new fee. A meeting was convened with
representatives of the Executive of the Guild of Students to address
these concerns and discuss a way forward in the best interest of
the student body. Out of these discussions the following provisions
are put into place in an attempt to alleviate any undue pressure
on students:
There is the offer of a staggered payment option with the fee
payable in two installments of TT$250, one per semester,
to account for the total annual fee of TT$500. It should be
noted that this provision applies only to this academic year
2016/2017, as the inaugural year. However, students who are
in a position to pay the full annual Student Amenities Fee at
the beginning of academic year 2016/2017 are encouraged to
do so.
For students requiring such, an extended deadline for the
payment of the Semester I installment of TT$250 is offered
up to September 30, 2016. A commitment is made that there
will be no holds on student accounts before this deadline date.
It should be noted however that students failing to pay by
this date, will be subject to financial holds on their accounts,
which will impact their access to learning resources and other
services.
Special provisions will also be made for students who
participated in early registration, like those in the Faculty of
Medical Sciences, who would not have been informed about
the introduction of the new Student Amenities Fee. These
provisions will be communicated to applicable students
directly.
Students with special cases of financial hardships are
encouraged to consult the Financial Advisory Services section
in the Division of Student Services and Development, located
in the Lloyd Brathwaite Student Administration Building at
the St. Augustine Campus. The section can be contacted at
(868) 662 2002 ext. 82360 or via email to Chandar.Supersad@
sta.uwi.edu.
Early in the new semester, the Guild of Students will host a
Student Forum to discuss the implementation of the Student
Amenities Fee with the student population.
In a Memorandum addressed to all students, Pro Vice-
Chancellor and Campus Principal, Professor Brian Copeland
clarified that the decision to introduce this new fee has been under
consideration since 2014 and involved extensive discussions with
campus representatives, faculty, administrators, and students
through its Guild Executive representatives over the three-
year period. “Fees on the St. Augustine Campus have not been
increased in the past 15 years. The TT$500 Student Amenities
Fee was conceptualised to support the growing need to enhance
and improve the facilities offered to students. There are similar
fees charged at our sister campuses in the region and the TT
amenities fee is the lowest fee of this kind when compared to the
other campuses. It is the feedback from the Guild of Students that
informed the priority inaugural projects of the Student Amenities
Fund,” he said.
The new Student Amenities Fee is not a Guild Fee, nor is
it a second Caution Fee or an increase in tuition. Rather, it is a
fee exclusively proposed for the development and enhancement
of student amenities as well as to support services provided
to students through the Division of Student Services and
Development. It is intended to provide various ranges of amenities
that will benefit all categories of students – undergraduate,
postgraduate, full-time, part-time and evening. Students, through
their Guild representation, are encouraged to propose projects
for consideration. The University Finance and General Purposes
Committee – convened on May 27, 2016 – gave final approval
for the implementation of the fee for the start of the academic
year 2016/2017 with the support of the Guild of Students whose
President is a member of this committee. Further, the campus
administration and the Guild have been in continuous consultation
on the implementation of the fee, since its approval at the various
campus governance bodies.
