A new trend in Texas higher education is the process of fee consolidation: the combining of several mandatory fees into one mandatory, consolidated fee charged to students. First implemented by Texas A&M University and Texas A&M University San Antonio in May 2012, effective for the fall 2012 semester, consolidated fees have since been adopted by 11 more Texas general education institutions (TAMUS 2012, 62-67). Of the 13 universities that have consolidated fees, all but one have officially named them a “University Services Fee,” and the average consolidated fee costs approximately $908.33 for a resident undergraduate student enrolled in a 15-hour semester.
Texas Hearing Reveals the Tragedy of DEI
Sen. Brandon Creighton, Chair of the Senate Higher Education Sub-Committee, invited seven Texas flagship universities to the Capitol last week to discuss their efforts to combat anti-Semitism and free speech. They were also asked for documented information on what they had done to eradicate “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion” (DEI) programs from taxpayer funded campuses. The academic...