A couple weeks ago, at fellow Jesuit school St. Peter’s College in Jersey City, N.J., Senate President Joseph Ferraro wrote an article in the school newspaper The Pauw Wow complaining about the lack of student interest in school clubs and activities.’
Comparing St. Peter’s to other Jesuit schools like Fordham University and perhaps, one could argue, Fairfield, he mentioned the reason for lack of interest in activities at St. Peter’s is due to the lack of a student fee that all students pay toward student activities.
Unlike Fairfield and Fordham, St. Peter’s students do not pay a student activities fee, and must fund clubs themselves through fundraising events. Here at Fairfield, there is a reasonably high level of student participation, in clubs like FUSA, Glee Club, Marketing Club and even The Board Game Club.’
At Fairfield, though, students pay a fee toward student activities that you really can’t argue influences students’ participation and enthusiasm.
Ferraro writes in his article, ‘We have some of the best students this campus has ever seen, smart, resourceful, determined, and capable.”
Tell me why your students don’t participate more in activites. If students are as great as you say they are, then why aren’t they interested in furthering the quality of their college experience? If anything, there should be a fee instituted so clubs can focus more on their interests as opposed to fundraising in order to operate.
I like to think that students at Fairfield get involved in things that interest them, despite how much it costs, financially or socially.’ I’ve always thought the great thing about Fairfield is that just because someone is a Varsity lacrosse player, doesn’t mean’ he or she isn’t also involved in the Economics Club to learn more about his or her major. Or maybe someone is a theater major in Improv’ but also enjoys Club Volleyball.’
Students here are more concerned with becoming more well-rounded and furthering their educations and interests through outside activities and meeting new people with similar interests.’
Undergraduate students at Fairfield pay a $565 University fee. Of this, $180 goes toward the health Center, and the remaining $385 covers athletics, FUSA, WVOF, Internet, Club Sports and Resident Communities.
Most students do not realize they are paying this fee, much less where the money from the fee actually goes. I’m willing to venture that even if our student didn’t have to pay a fee like St. Peter’s students, that we would still put as much heart into what we do as before.
Money shouldn’t have an impact on our passions, especially when it’s such a small sum like the proposed $75-150 at St. Peter’s.
So I say to St. Peter’s, if you feel that adding a fee will increase participation from your students, go for it. But I think the real issue you should be concerned with is your students’ lack of pride in their school.’ And maybe you could take a cue from our students here at Fairfield, who are proud of what we do, not matter the cost.
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