SGA proposes legislation for Volcard replacement fees, lockouts

The University of Tennessee’s Student Government Assembly held a senate meeting on Tuesday, April 4, focusing on a new proposition to lower Volcard replacement fees and changing the allotted lockouts for students living on campus.

The proposed legislation urges UT VolCard Offices to decrease the student ID replacement fee from $30 to $15. Proponents of the change stated that many other public institutions in the state only charge $10 to $15 for student ID replacement and the current $30 charge places an undue burden on students of UT.

Questions were raised for what the change would mean for the university’s revenue. The VolCard office is funded by fees such as this one and would need to reassess their budget drastically or tuition would likely increase by a small amount for each student to cover the cost.

Additionally, the proposed bill urges the UT Housing offices to increase the number of allotted lockouts students are given. Currently, students are allowed three lockouts per academic year. The bill would change this to three lockouts per academic semester.

Another section of the bill addresses lockout charges, urging UT Housing to eliminate or reduce the lockout fee that students must pay. One senator stressed that in some dorms, students must use their VolCard to access their rooms, so there is no reason that they should have to pay a fee to gain entry if they were to leave their VolCard inside.

The Bill was voted on and passed 38-to-5 with one senator abstaining from the vote. Now the bill will go to the respective offices and boards for review and discussion moving forward.

UT Chancellor Beverly Davenport spoke toward the end of the meeting and answered questions that the student government had regarding a wide range of topics. Davenport voiced her support for diversity and campus safety as a means to push Tennessee into the Top 25, as well as expanding study abroad programs to make the options more affordable for students.

Featured Image by Ryan McGill

Edited by Kaitlin Flippo