The continued effort to educate students on the proposed Student Success Fee left associate vice provost Kimi Ikeda “disappointed in the number of students who have been coming,” she said. Six students were present at Wednesday night’s forum.
Ikeda is reaching out and meeting with other student groups as well, including campus clubs and greek life. The goal is for students to get informed on the issue, not to persuade them to vote yes or no, Ikeda said.
None of the six students had attended a previous forum.
Earth science junior Jordan Fink said she didn’t have an opinion before attending the forum, and probably wouldn’t have voted if she hadn’t come.
“I don’t want to pay more, but I chose Cal Poly for the brand,” Fink said. “If we don’t have fees that name potentially won’t mean as much anymore.”
Not all of the students who attended the forum left with happier thoughts about the fee, however. Mechanical engineering senior Garrett Dong did research before the forum, and came in with a strong opinion.
“There’s so much mismanagement of funds that sometimes you have to slim it down to figure out how to manage,” Dong said.
His concern was where Cal Poly’s current money is going, and whether or not certain programs, such as athletics, should be cut to reduce costs.
Ikeda encouraged students to not get hung up on the dollar amount of the increase, but rather, to think about what they will get in exchange for the money. Regardless of student opinions, the forums are meant to educate.
“We’re not here to debate, we’re not here to persuade,” Ikeda said. “We’re here to provide you with the information.”
Associated Students, Inc. President Kiyana Tabrizi was present at the end of the meeting, and expressed her desire to educate every student so that they can make an informed decision.
“Freshmen are going to be here for the next four years, and the fee will directly impact them,” Tabrizi said. “And although seniors are leaving and won’t necessarily be paying the fees, this will impact the value of their degree.”
On Feb. 29, students will be able to vote on the fee via their Cal Poly Portals. They will also have the opportunity to make suggestions when they vote as to where the money should be used if the fee is passed.
“I think that the president would find it difficult to move forward if there was an overwhelming vote against it from the students,” Ikeda said.
This article was written by Amber Diller.