LU curators approve new book fees, ID replacement charges

Lincoln University students will have to pay more each time they ask for a replacement ID card, the board of curators voted Friday.

Also, some freshmen students will be billed for the books they need in a couple of required courses - because some students in the past haven't gotten the books, then done poorly or failed the classes needed to continue their education.

During a 20-minute conference call Friday afternoon, the curators also approved a $236,947 contract with Porting Mechanical of Jefferson City for heating-and-cooling unit changes at Young and Soldiers halls.

Four area companies submitted bids Aug. 13 for the heating and cooling system repairs, with Porting Mechanical submitting the lowest proposal.

Facilities Director Sheila Gassner told the board, "There are actually over 200 heat pumps in Young Hall, but we have 42 that are not working currently.

"We would like to replace those, as well as the boiler in Soldiers Hall."

Gassner said the repairs will be paid for from part of the $4 million in state bond issue money the Legislature earmarked for Lincoln.

While officials know other pumps also may be wearing out, Gassner said, "The problem we run into with Young Hall is that there are so many different sizes, and there's left hand versus right hand on the piping, and some are floor units while others are ceiling units.

"We purchased 25 units last year - and we try to get as many units as we can."

More units could be bought next spring, if there's money left over from some of the other renovation projects planned with the bond money.

"We have a lot of projects that are in design right now," Gassner said.

The ID-replacement policy is an effort to recover some of the costs of making and maintaining them, Jerome Offord, Lincoln's dean of administration and student affairs, told the board.

"We have students at Lincoln who seem to lose their IDs quite often," he explained. "There's one student - who will remain nameless - who is a senior and has had 17 ID cards.

"So, we are trying to change the culture for students to take care of their ID cards."

However, he added, the school is facing increased costs for supplies, equipment maintenance and the technology that allows the ID cards to work in the cafeteria, residence halls and other places.

Under the plan curators adopted Friday, the first ID still is free. The second, third and fourth IDs would cost the student $25 each. Any replacement card after that would cost $40.

"The fees collected will help us augment the costs that the university spends," Offord added, noting "the fees collected do not cover the complete expenses."

Once a student asks for a replacement ID, Offord explained, "The code for that ID is permanently deactivated, very quickly, and a new one is issued."

LU President Kevin Rome later said, "We don't charge the students the full cost and, so, when we have to duplicate them many times, the university ends up losing money.

"We're asking students to pay more of a portion of a service that they're receiving."

Offord said the proposed book charges followed a review of students' passing rates for two required first-year courses - English 101 and Math 111.

"We found that some students were not successful because they have not purchased their textbooks," he explained. "We wanted to pilot - where it's required for the students in those classes - that we automatically bill for the textbooks, to ensure that they have the tools they need to be successful in the course."

He told the board the students who are least likely to buy books usually are the ones who need them the most.

"Because students are not successful, it impacts our (state) performance-based funding measures and, also, it impacts their ability for the completion rate for financial aid," Offord added, "it can hinder their succession in going from their first to second year, freshman to sophomore."

The price for the math book is $91.71 new and $60 for a new English textbook.

Students who prefer used books would pay $69 for the math textbook and $45 for the English book at the LU bookstore, Offord said.

Students would be billed for what they purchased - and "their financial aid would cover the books," Rome said.

All students in the English class also would have to pay $68 for a code giving them access to online materials also needed "in support of the textbook for the English course, (that) is selected by the faculty," Offord said.

Not all students are affected by the new policy, and Offord is to notify those who are affected.

Rome said he's "happy about the textbook stuff. I hope that it creates more academic success for our students enrolled in those courses."