The rumors of proposed fee increases by the administration became a reality Tuesday when President James Gaertner approached the Student Government Association, asking the student body to support two new fees and the increase of two others.”What we’re here to do is ask for your support,” said Gaertner to the SGA.About 20 students and five high-level administrative officials, as well as 24 SGA Senators and four SGA officers, were also in attendance at the meeting held in the Evans Building Room 105. “The first fee we want to put forward is referred to as Designated Tuition,” said Gaertner. “We’re asking next year to increase (the fee) from $27 to $35 (per semester hour).” For a student taking 15 hours, the proposed Designated Tuition fee would increase from $405 to $525.”What this will do is generate funds for several specific items,” said Gaertner. “We have a serious problem with keys on campus. I think it’s gotten to the point where it almost affects the integrity of the institutionwe have to have that security all across campus. We need to have better keying, and that’s a very expensive process.”Gaertner also said the increased fee would add new teaching support staff and improve classrooms.”We have a lot of faculty doing things that staff normally does, like cleaning up labs,” he said. “We want to spend some significant amount of money to upgrade our classrooms across campus.”The second fee Gaertner proposed was an increase in the Student Service Fee.”Our Student Service Fee is currently $150,” said Gaertner, “and we’re asking to go up to $171, an increase of $21. We need help, across the board, for student clubs and student services.”We’re also asking for an Advisement Fee of $50 a semester,” said Gaertner. “The Advisement Fee would go to fund the Student Advisement Center that we’re opening up in September.”The administration said SAC is for freshman, undeclared majors and “students at risk.” Vice President of Student Affairs David Payne said the advising center, with a staff of about 14, will deal with students until they declare a major, where they will then be transferred to a faculty advisor within their college. The last fee Gaertner proposed was “Course Fees.””As far as we know, we are only one of four state universities in Texas that do not charge those fees, and we’re asking to charge them,” he said. “The fee would be from $5 a courseto ultimately $100 a course.”Gaertner said next year the highest would be $40 a course but could eventually rise to $100.”Things that we would use fees like that for would be in our geography program–our Global Positioning System, we have a hefty licensing fee for that; in our chemistry program, glassware and chemicals; in biology, upgrading equipment; in music, tuning instruments; in English and foreign language, computer lab maintenance,” he said. Gaertner said the proposed new and increased fees would get SHSU on par with the fee rates of other Texas universities.”If you want to move the university along, if want to be ambitious, if you want to have a better university, you have to have funding at least equal to the average universities in the state. And you have to have support,” he said.Gaertner will propose the new and increased fees to The Texas State University System’s Board of Regents, the ultimate ruling body on whether the fees become a reality, at a later date. He said the support of the student body would increase the chance of getting those fees passed.”On the flip side, it will be hard to get their attention if we can’t say that we have student support,” he said.According to the College of Arts and Sciences Dean Brian Chapman, a student taking 15 hours last semester paid about $1,451 in tuition and fees. If the proposed fees are passed, a student can expect to pay $1,702 for 15 hours, an addition of $251.”What we’re asking you to do is pass something that you’re not going to get much benefit from. The benefit that you will get from it will be not direct, but indirect. You’re not going to get the better classrooms, (and) there will be some things that will take us a while to gear up,” Gaertner said. “So we’re asking you to pass some things that, particularly those of you that are about to leave here, will get minimum benefit from. But people who have come here before you have done that. And we’re asking you to do that for the people that will follow you. Not only that, we’re asking you to do that for the value and reputation of your degree from this university.”The SGA will vote on whether or not to support the proposed fees at its next meeting, April 9, at 6 p.m. at the same location.