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News :: Miscellaneous |
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U of I Students: U R eligible for $15 refund, go get it! |
Current rating: 0 |
by College Libertarians
(No verified email address) |
18 Feb 2002
Modified: 19 Feb 2002 |
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get yo refunds |
For the next couple of weeks you have a few rare opportunities. As a student, you are required to pay sums of money to the university in the form of activity fees, student government, and other "extra" program fees,
and you are never consulted on how that money is spent. Truly, these funds are often allocated for parties or other luxury items for the individuals (students like you and me) who are in control of your money.
If robbing you of your money were not enough to cause insult, then surely this form of unchecked wastefulness might be for you. If so, the College Libertarians club wants to let you know that you can get back a small portion of your tuition money that is taken for this purpose. You
can retrieve the following three fees by visiting 100 Henry Administration Building between the dates indicated:
Fee Dates Amount
--- ----- ------
SORF Feb 18-22 $10
ISG Feb 18-22 $1
SEAL Feb 25-March 1 $4
**All refunds can be obtained at 100 Henry Adm. Bldg.
We strongly encourage you to get back the money that was yours tobegin with. The amounts may not be much, but you will be making a stand against frivolous university fees, and that is a step in the right direction. Look at it this way: your $15 can be spent in a lot of ways, any of which you should be able to decide, not other students or the university itself. |
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Not consulted? |
by Paul
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
18 Feb 2002
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Aren't these monies allocated by elected boards? Thus, these monies are no more abused than tax dollars. Granted, tax dollars are abused, too, and I'm sure the Libertarians wouldn't want to pax taxes either. But I want to point out that you _could_ have a role in allocating these monies, and be a force for what you think is right, rather than just "gimmie my money back." (What's $14 buy these day any? A case of Coors Light?)
I just want to point out that the money pays for the programs that directly benefit you as well as the programs that might not directly benefit you. But that $14 can benefit you far more when pooled together with everyone else's $14 than it can go on it's own. It's called pooling resources, and it just makes economic sense. That $14 is an investment, and while maybe you lose control over $2 of it, you gain back way more than $12 in the availability of programs across campus.
And since you can get a refund, then it really is disingenuous to call this "robbing." You have a choice you can exercise. Consider that choice and don't just knee-jerk it cause you want 14 clams. |
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Great Variety Is Good For Learning |
by A student
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
18 Feb 2002
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I've seen the SORF fee help do some great things over the years, and the occasional stupid stuff, also. All told, it helps sponsor a wide variety of groups and activities at the University of Illinois. I don't agree with all of what they all do, but I think the nurturing of the diverse learning atmosphere adds a great deal to the excellent educational experience at the UI. I think my money reaps a rich return on the small amount I have invested in it. The fact that so few students actually request the refund is a sign of its popular acceptance. Maybe that's what's eating the Libertarian who posted this.
Of course, if I was as wise and learned as the typical Libertarian claims to be, I'd already recognize that I know everything and would need no encouragement to open up my mind a little. In fact, I'd probably be so smart, people would wonder why I was still wasting my time in college.
Which leads to the obvious question, do the College Libertarians receive any SORF funds? I honestly don't know the answer, but I'd sure like to find out...
All in all, if the College Libertarians really aren't biting the hand that feeds them, if the SORF fee went away, there'd be a lot less to do on campus. Maybe all you'd have left to do would be to go to boring College Libertarian meetings where you would talk about how independent you are (other than on the selfish philosophies of folks like Ayn Rand and Daddy's monthly check to keep them in preppy clothes and PBR) and whine about how nobody respects your money. |
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Don't Get a Refund |
by Esther Patt
estherpatt (nospam) hotmail.com (unverified) |
Current rating: 0
19 Feb 2002
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The SORF, ISG and SEAL fees were created by students and hence, to be fair to all students, they are refundable. However, getting a refund hurts you and hurts other students. The SEAL fee is not used for parties. It's used to help low-income students afford to attend U of I. The SORF fee is used to fund Tenant Union (where I work) and Student Legal Services. If you obtain a SORF refund, you forfeit your right to get a free lawyer to represent you for traffic tickets, city offenses, landlord-tenant conflicts, and other matters. Also, the people who decide how to use the SORF and ISG fees are elected annually by the students. These fees are the ONLY money students pay to the University about which they actually get any say. |
