Illegal fees on the rise
By Sean Healy
SYDNEY — A decision by Macquarie University to levy a $50 "information technology charge" on all students has focused attention on the issue of illegal ancillary fees.
Macquarie University's decision comes on top of similar recent decisions by Southern Cross University and Charles Sturt University to levy such fees on all students.
Macquarie's charge is ostensibly for expanded e-mail access for students. But in a release by the Macquarie University Students' Council, acting chairperson Kelli Field stated, "The proposed charge is nothing more than a blatant grab for student money. Students already pay enough in fees, with this charge amounting to little more than the thin edge of the wedge of a user pays university system."
Federal government funding cuts have led to more and more university administrations searching for revenue from business and, especially, from students. The number of ancillary fees, which breach federal government guidelines, has spread rapidly over the last two years.