Gaines Gunn0:00 Alright, I'm just sitting here.0:02 Um, I was thinking about finances and money, and I was thinking about my tuition for Georgia Tech.0:08 That's where I go to school.0:10 Um, and I was starting to think about all these fees that get tacked on to my tuition, um, tuition.0:18 Uh, for example, recreation fee, health fee, athletic fee.0:23 I'm looking at all these.0:24 And it occurred to me that maybe colleges are a system of redistributing wealth.0:31 And I I don't want to go as far to say that they're like a socialist, not per se, but they they definitely redistribute wealth in the sense of I'm here paying $139 for health fee, you know, and that I assume is to keep our health services up and running.0:51 But the thing is, is I never go and use our health services, right?0:55 But if only the people who go and use the health services are the ones that pay, then we couldn't have doctors on campus 24-7 or have a health center.1:05 So it makes sense, but it's also a very interesting way of running a system.1:10 You know, like everyone pays a transportation fee, but I never use the buses.1:15 I never do.1:16 Um, I walk everywhere.1:17 And then there's student activity fee.1:19 I and the thing is I don't know where this money goes.1:22 You know, it just says transportation fee, $82.1:25 It's like, I can only assume that goes towards the buses.1:28 Um, and then there's yeah, it's just it doesn't make sense to me.1:32 I don't know why.1:33 There's a technology fee, but I guess that makes sense for Wi-Fi and stuff.1:36 So yeah, I use that.1:38 Um yeah, it's very interesting.1:40 It's it's very interesting how I'm paying over $500 in fees, and I don't even use half the facilities that I'm paying for.1:49 Obviously, they're available to me if I need them, but you know, wouldn't it be interesting to see a system on campus where maybe you pay based on use?1:59 You know, like I think it's unfair to people who don't use our recreation center how they pay $51 for the recreational center for the semester, each semester they pay that.2:09 And they may never go into the CRC.2:12 And like, I don't know, it's very interesting.2:15 It's it's an interesting concept that students are taking on all of these costs.2:20 Um yeah, I want I want people to actually give me their thoughts.2:24 I would really appreciate that because maybe y'all have a different perspective than me.2:28 Um, so yeah.
Casey Comerford0:00 Oh my god.0:01 Yeah, um never really thought about it that way.0:03 It's pretty interesting you brought that up, Gaines.0:05 Um I guess my one thing is then how you know bus drivers, if you want to have that service need to get paid a decent amount.0:12 So I guess what I would ask is are you gonna make the kids that do use them pay a much higher fee than what it currently is?0:18 Say the transportation fee was hundred dollars.0:21 Are you gonna take that fee out from the kids who don't use the bus and then make the kids who do pay, say, five hundred dollars?0:28 I mean, is that fair?0:29 'Cause I don't know.0:30 I mean I th I feel like that is a service on a s on a on a campus, especially more wide or bigger campuses like uh University of Georgia where you hit m a lot of people have to take the bus to get to class.0:41 Um I don't know.0:43 And then even then, you know, you gotta think about people who already are taking out big loans who are can barely afford to even go to college.0:50 Um what if those are the ones that you know do have to to ride the bus, then they have to pay even more.0:56 Um sort of no, it's an interesting topic you bring up, but I think it is definitely a redistribution of wealth, but I don't know what the best solution is.
Vansh Patel0:00 Gaines, I absolutely agree with your point that larger universities are in a sense a system of redistributing wealth.0:08 I uh I was thinking about this, and there's a lot of people.0:12 I'm fortunate enough to be on scholarship as a Georgia resident, but out of state students who want to come here are forced to pay immense tuition amounts along with some of these irrelevant fees that they're forced to pay.0:26 And a lot of people simply can't afford that and are forced to go to either community college or they opt to not go to college.0:36 And I think that system right now is keeping them out of college.0:42 And I think that needs to be addressed.0:44 But as I was just leaving the laundry room here, I I realized that it's not just the facilities that we don't use.0:52 It's the ones that we actively use.0:55 Um about five out of the 10 or 15 washers weren't operating right now.1:03 And for them to have some of these fees and not back them up by having improper or broken machines, I think that's just unjustifiable.1:13 So yeah, I think you made a very valid point.
Wesley Joyce0:00 So I think gangs and um Bonch make great points, so I'm definitely gonna side more with Casey on this topic.0:06 Um another thing that came to my mind um obviously first was what what Casey had to say when um you know it would be disproportionate to make some of the people that are taking advantage of the systems pay more when we have it available at our fingertips and we just don't use it.0:23 And that's just a lifestyle choice.0:25 And also, you know, we're here to get a good degree and to spend our time wisely, and um we're paying a little bit extra to be at Georgia Tech versus somebody where if they needed a degree as cheap as they get it and needed to go to work, they could go to a technical school or get an online degree somewhere.0:44 So I think that's something that not necessarily a bunch of tech kids factor in, even if they are broke or whatnot, you know, it's Georgia Tech.0:50 You're gonna go, you're gonna pay the money, you're gonna get the degree.0:53 But tech is also responsible for people's children.0:57 And you know, like when parents hand over their son or daughter at 18 years old, they need to know that they're paying for everything and their kid can have everything they need.1:10 And not a lot of people need it, but the people that need it, you know, it is important that we look after them because you get to college and you're completely on your own, and it's up to you whether you want to use the resources or not.1:22 But to consider yourself a top-notch institution such as Georgia Tech, I believe that those resources are necessary, and you know, I don't use the transportation system, but when I've been sick and I can call stamps and I can go there and it's cheap and it's easy and it's free, and it's Georgia Tech doctors taking care of Georgia Tech students.1:42 You know, that to me is worth the fees.1:44 And um, yeah, I think I think tech just has a responsibility as an entire organization to keep this thing afloat and to have these options available for everybody.1:55 So it is unfortunate to pay these fees, but it it's part of the tech experience.2:00 You're paying to be a part of a community that's gonna support you and uphold you, and they do a great job of that.
Carl Dagher0:01 Yeah, gains.0:02 I think it's a very interesting way to think about it.0:04 Um I think f for the most part, most students use a form of a service provided by the university here at big schools.0:19 Um whether that's you know, using the gym, using, you know, the the fields, like the public fields, uh using the bus, um, or any other type of transportation.0:33 Um, you know, I think rather than having specific fees for each of these things, it it should just be grouped into like a general um service fee, which yes, some of the people who don't use the buses may feel like their money's going to waste, but there are things that the university provides that they use that other students don't use.0:54 And I'm sure there's cost cutting that can be done all around in these services, but at the end of the day, a lot of them are are necessary for a small proportion of the students.1:07 So that's probably why the school feels justified that they can charge these fees for these things, but um I think at the end of the day, everyone uses uh service that's provided by the school in in some capacity.1:20 So it's hard to say they're redistributing wealth, just kind of providing a variety of resources for its students.