[Vision2020] city tazes

Joshua Nieuwsma joshuahendrik@yahoo.com
Mon, 28 Jul 2003 15:13:09 -0700 (PDT)


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Visionaries,
As a U of I student, I can concur with almost all of Mr. Arnold's comments about the UI administrations policies and money-making schemes, although I almost never agree with anything he says :). It is entirely true that the students end up throwing their money away at the end of the semester due to the Flex Money plan. I got free food from the both fall semester and spring semester from that university courtesy (or lack thereof!). Same thing goes for smaller things like printer paper allotments (500 pages/semester, non-transferable to the next semester even though you got charged for it in your student fees). The university explains that not passing the pages to the next semester "saves the UI money". Well, actually, multiplied by several thousand students, that makes them money, since most people I know don't end up using all their pages, but often have a couple hundred left. I know I did. They also charge every student for the cost of the Rec center, regardless of individu!
 al use.
 That fee is something like $150 a semester. And students who are on-campus residents are required to use the food plan, while all students are given the same page allotments.  
The comments in the other email about the cost of living on campus, the campus living situations, the streets, and other things are most all consistent with my own observations on campus and my own studying of the living situations. The university is a business, not a godfather of the community. They are out to make money as much as possible and as in as many areas as possible. Which is why they charge their students to be able to park there. But an interesting note, if you're not a UI student technically they cannot require you to pay the fine for parking without a permit on UI parking lots. It's not in the law. They can only fine registered students because being a student gives them legal authority over you. 
 
A specific comment on the Health Insurance deal. The university automatically charges a student's account without giving him the option of waiving the fee beforehand. In fact, you have to search to find the page that lets you waive the fee. I'll bet there are quite a few students who just pay the fees and don't look at the bill to see what they're paying for. So they might very easily have their own insurance, but be paying for university provided insurance at the same time. I know my account was charged without the courtesy of asking me whether I wanted the Insurance. And that even though last year I waived the Insurance policy. 
 
cheers,
 
Joshua Nieuwsma


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<DIV>Visionaries,</DIV>
<DIV>As a U of I student, I can concur with almost all of Mr. Arnold's comments about the UI administrations policies and money-making schemes, although I almost never agree with anything he says :). It is entirely true that the students end up throwing their money away at the end of the semester due to the Flex Money plan. I got free food from the both fall semester and spring semester from that university courtesy (or lack thereof!). Same thing goes for smaller things like&nbsp;printer paper allotments (500 pages/semester, non-transferable to the next semester&nbsp;even though you got charged for it in your&nbsp;student fees). The university explains that&nbsp;not passing the pages to the next semester "saves the UI money". Well, actually, multiplied by several thousand students, that makes them&nbsp;money, since most people I know don't end up using all their pages, but&nbsp;often have a couple hundred left. I know I did.&nbsp;They also charge every student for the cost o!
 f the Rec
 center, regardless of individual use. That fee is something like $150 a semester. And students who are on-campus residents&nbsp;are <EM>required</EM> to use the food plan, while all students are given the same page allotments.&nbsp; </DIV>
<DIV>The comments in the other email about the cost of living on campus, the campus living situations, the streets, and other things are most all consistent with my own observations on campus and my own studying of the living situations. The university is a business, not a godfather of the community. They are out to make money as much as possible and as in as many areas as possible. Which is why they charge their students to be able to park there. But an interesting note, if you're not a UI student technically they cannot require you to pay the fine for parking without a permit on UI parking lots. It's not in the law. They can only fine registered&nbsp;students because being a student gives them legal authority over you. </DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>A specific comment on the Health Insurance deal. The university automatically&nbsp;charges a student's account without giving him the option of waiving the fee beforehand. In fact, you have to search to find the page that lets you waive the fee.&nbsp;I'll bet there are quite a few students who just pay the fees and don't look at the bill to see what they're paying for. So they might very easily have their own insurance, but be paying for university provided insurance at the same time. I know my account was charged without the courtesy of asking me whether I wanted the Insurance. And that&nbsp;even though last year I waived the Insurance policy. </DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>cheers,</DIV>
<DIV>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>Joshua Nieuwsma</DIV><p><hr SIZE=1>
Do you Yahoo!?<br>
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