Recently, Student Body President, Bobby Mills has been shopping around a proposal for yet another fee increase. The proposed ‘sustainability fee’ would be a new annual fee to help fund environmental projects and outreach on campus — it will join the elite club of universities who charge a similar fee — all for the low, low price of just $10.

Sound like a bargain? Before you answer, here’s something to consider: currently, student fees at N.C. State add up to $1,253.00 — nearly half of in-state full-time undergraduate tuition ($3,760 for the 2007-2008 school year). While to some, this figure may seem to make tuition here a bargain, consider its impact on out-of state students, where tuition goes as high as $16,316 per year for a full-time out-of-state graduate student. Add on top of that the various fees and surcharges which individual departments and colleges decide to tack on and suddenly yet another completely optional fee increase starts to look a lot more like the straw that broke the camel’s back.

Mills and his comrades would make the argument that this is “just another fee — what’s a measly ten bucks a year for the sake of the environment? (After all, you don’t hate the environment, do you?)

But this argument rings hollow — already, students pay a combined total of over 18 little fees, all conveniently rolled into one lump sum on their e-Bills, miscellaneous extra fees notwithstanding. Some of these fees are arguably necessary (or at the very least, justifiable): consider the large bulk of fees which go towards education and technology improvements ($354) and the student health center ($220.70). Others are more questionable, such as the nearly $200 students pay to subsidize intercollegiate athletics (hope you’re getting your money’s worth there, folks). Either way, you’re paying for it — there really is no such thing as a free lunch.

The point here however is that what Mills is proposing is not “just one small fee,” but rather one more of a litany of fees students are already paying, even larger than the fee currently allocated to student organizations ($8.50). The fact that this isn’t immediately evident speaks volumes to the opaqueness of student fees: its mid-September, do you know where you student fees are?

While all of this information is readily available on the Cashier’s office website, how many students (short of those seeking a cure for insomnia) are actually inclined to seek it out?*** True transparency in fees should start on the e-Bill: itemize each individual fee (yes, down to the paltry $0.60 which goes to the Student Activity Reserve) such that students see exactly how much is going where — as well as just how quickly “little fees” start to add up.

None of this should be taken to disparage the potential worthiness of the proposed projects envisioned. After all, who actually hates the environment? But before Mills proposes to grab the collective student body by the ankles and start shaking, a small reality check is in order.

While supporters might make the argument that $10 a year is a paltry sum to ask (just pennies a day here, folks!), the fact remains that this increase comes upon the heels of record increases in both student fees and tuition — the latter of which has jumped by nearly 26 percent over the last five years, according to the University Planning and Analysis office.

Given all this, a sensible look at priorities is in order. Despite expectations to the contrary, it’s obvious that students cannot be expected to fund every brilliant idea out there. Thus, rather than imposing yet another poll tax upon students (which is ultimately what such fees amount to), perhaps Mills might instead propose to us where he would offset his new fee through corresponding cuts elsewhere — effectively balancing it out. If this project genuinely represents students’ newfound priorities, why shouldn’t it be reflected in how fees are allocated?

In the meantime, supporters of sustainable projects on campus don’t need a mandatory fee to get their project started — a very simple mechanism exists for it already. It’s called, “Open your checkbook and write a check already.” After all, if such projects are as worthy as their supporters claim, why should it take a mandatory fee to get those checks rolling in?