The Idaho State Board of Education approved a plan Thursday allowing students at state colleges and universities to opt out of fees for activities, clubs and on-campus organizations.
Students who opt out of those categories will receive a refund from their respective school. The new fee structure, developed by representatives from each higher education institution, will take effect in the 2022-2023 academic year. Over the spring and summer, officials evaluated which student fees could be optional and how they’d be labeled. The newly approved plan has four categories: student enrollment, engagement and success; institutional operations, services and support; student health and wellness, and student government.
During the meeting the board also approved an online undergraduate program in cybersecurity management at Lewis-Clark State College. The new degree will be available in collaboration with other Idaho institutions and Online Idaho, the Board’s online instruction delivery platform.
Additionally the board approved a $2.4 million request from UI to replace a 500-ton chiller used to cool buildings on its Moscow campus. The university’s cooling system struggled to keep pace when a heat wave swept through the region in July, temporarily causing higher-than-normal indoor temperatures. The system uses a reservoir of water chilled to about 45 degrees to regulate temperatures in multiple buildings during warm days. Brian Foisy, vice president of finance and administration at UI, said the replacement will provide a 12 percent increase in efficiency and save the school around $10,000 per year on electricity consumption. (Lewiston Tribune)
