Student fee taxation a sneaky tuition hike

Every student at University of Hawai`i-Manoa pays about $60 each semester in fees on top of his or her tuition, which ranges from $1,464 (for resident undergraduates) to $12,264 (for nonresident medical students).

However, the thousands of dollar we pay for tuition have, evidently, not been enough.

Because of decreased state funding for the university, a task force created by President Mortimer is considering a four to five percent surcharge on the funding six Chartered Student Organizations (CSOs) receive.

If the surcharge is instituted, it would affect the Board of Publications (which prints Ka Leo and the Student Handbook), the Campus Center Board, and the Associated Students of the University of Hawai`i.

Yet with UH's autonomy, the administration is able to raise tuition whenever they want, without state legislative permission. Why would hey need to put a tax on our student fees" Why not just raise tuition another $60 and leave the student organizations alone?

It seems like this is just another tuition increase in disguise -- a way of getting more money from students without the unwanted publicity of another increase.