A new Technology Fee Committee has been developed as a result of the implementation of a $10 technology fee per credit hour at the beginning of the semester.

According to Rachal Crouse, PSGA Vice president and sophomore in graphic design and finance, the committee founded earlier this semester with the intention to decide the usage of the new fee.

“We do have that $10 technology fee,” said Crouse. “(The committee) is a group of teachers, students, people from IT and student life who are coming together and decide how we are going to start spending that money and what we are going to start spending that money on.”

The committee is in its early stages and expects to have a solid plan by the end of the semester.

“Since this is something new we are trying to create a set of guidelines or something so in the years to come we have a set of rules on how we are going to spend that money,” said Crouse.

“We are in the process of brainstorming and come up with several ideas, nothing is concrete yet but hopefully by the end of the semester we should have some plans on what we will be using that technology fee on.”

Robert Van Eman, PSGA student representative on the Educational Technology Advisory Committee (ETAC) for the Faculty Senate, is also working directly with the new Technology Fee Committee and works as a liaison between the PSGA and the faculty senate.

“My understanding is that the committee is to use the technology fee to leverage student needs,” said Van Eman.

“And, if there are some more needs that aren’t met, (we want to see) what can we do with that fee to meet those needs and stay within Park’s core values.”

According to Van Eman, both committees are working towards the same direction regarding the new technology fee but are independent from each other.

ETAC is a separate committee from the Senate, however, it reports to Faculty Senate and administration.

“ETAC is a faculty committee that has a student representative,” said Van Eman. “We don’t have money to spend. We are to inventory the current assets that we have as regarding education technology and find out along the same value are we meeting student needs. And if we’re not, what recommendations can we do or what can we address to better serve those needs.”

In the process of developing new technology at Park, new surveys will be sent to students in order to fill students’ needs.

“Something we did to get student feedback is we sent out a technology survey to a large group of students,” said Crouse, “and we compiled all of that data that we are using to create technology to meet those needs that the students emphasized on.”

Van Eman said he encourages students to check and take future surveys since it is a key opportunity for the committees and administration to know what students want and need.