Approved-By:  EDTECH Moderator <21765EDT@MSU.BITNET>
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.edtech
Date:         Thu, 17 Dec 1992 16:21:00 EST
From:         Gary Davis <davis@UnbSJ.CA>
Subject:      Re: Computer Fees

Well, Charles SUndin certainly put a cramp in the devil's advocate's
style when he wrote that:

> Gary Davis finally found me out.  I would like to provide free college
> education to the best, brightest, and most highly motivated no matter
> what their background.

Because I feel the same way.

He goes on to say:

> I haven'f figured out how to determine who is the best, brightest, and
> most highly motivated 17-18 year olds.

And this is problematical, sice some of the best blossom later.  In the
Province of New Brunswick, where I live, tuition is relatively high for
Canada at about $2,100 per year.  Our admission standards, as a "state"
institution, are probably a bit on the low side, and we admit a lot of
part time students, many of whom are single parents and "mature" (post
21!) students.  As a result, there are a lot who get "weeded out", but a
few stars have emerged.  The last remnant of devil's advocacy I have left
asks "what is the appropriate cutoff point between alphaerrors and beta
errors?"  This will probably be determined by budgetary pressure from the
devil's allies, the government.

> But, let's return to the subject we are supposed to be on.  I received
> an article from WISCONSIN WEEK, a UW-Madison faculty and staff
> publication.  It states, "Six Big Ten schools already charge students a
> special technology fee, and Minnesota, Ohio State and Wisconsin are
> seeking such a fee.  Only at Northwestern, where tuition tops $15,000 a
> year, is there no technology fee nor any movement to levy one."

It would be interesting to compare these "technology" fees (I thought all
learning was a type of "technology") with parking fees, athletic fees, and
so on.  Are they appropriately balanced?

> This is in reference to make a special tuition assessment for all (note
> all) students.  This not only would cover computer labs but help student
> E-mail access including access to their instructors, INTERNET, etc.

All students at UNBSJ (where I am) have free access to the internet, I
think, if they are enrolled in a computer course.  I'm not sure about
other students, but I think they can have free access if they ask for it.
(We have medicare, too!)

> Since the competent and less motivated students will go to the
> university, tuition is needed if for no other reason than commitment.

Sounds appropriate to me -- do you think $2,100 is enough?

> It the taxpayers won't pay for the additional information technology
> infrastructure, etc., then the students must.

I think my original question was whether it was balanced appropriately
across users, given different requirements for different courses.  But I
am now beginning to think it is all a red herring, and that these costs
are trivial in relation to -- dare I say it -- professors' salaries!

- Gary Davis
-------------------------------------------------------------
Gary Davis (PhD)    Associate Professor   Faculty of Business
      University of New Brunswick in Saint John (UNBSJ)
     P.O. Box 5050   Saint John, N.B.   Canada   E2K 3M2
        (506) 648-5537 (Answering machine at my office)
       (506) 648-5528 (UNBSJ fax machine) davis@unbsj.ca
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