The Golden Panther Express Shuttle will be free for students under a fee proposal that FIU’s Board of Trustees will consider at their June meeting.
FIU is proposing an increase to the transportation access fee paid by students from $89 per semester to $93.45 per semester for fall and spring (a difference of $4.45), and from $83 to $87.15 for summer (a difference of $4.15). If approved, beginning in fall 2019, FIU students will be able to ride the Golden Panther Express shuttle between MMC and BBC for free.
The trustees also will consider a proposal to reduce the activity and service fee and increase the athletic fee by the same amount. Since the reduction and increase are the same amount, there will be no change in the total per-credit fees paid by students. Under the proposal, beginning in fall 2019, the activity and service fee will decrease by 40 cents per credit hour, from $14.85 to $14.45. The athletic fee will increase by 40 cents per credit hour, from $16.10 to $16.50. For Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine students, who pay fees per academic year, the activity and service fee will decrease from $594 to $578, or $16 per academic year, and the athletic fee will increase from $664 to $680, or $16 per academic year.
The additional funds from the athletic fee will cover increased team travel expenses and maintenance costs for the recreation and practice fields that were built in 2017, as well as offset significantly reduced TV revenues from Conference USA.
Monies from the university’s educational and general fund operating budget will fill the gap left by the decrease in the activity and service fee by funding career placement and planning services that are essential for student success. Students will not experience any reduction in services they currently receive.
The Board of Trustees will meet on Wednesday, June 19, in the Graham Center Ballrooms, beginning at 8 a.m. For more information, including the full schedule and agendas, please click here.