DoIT committee discusses carryover funds

Fees might be re-assigned to the benefit of students.

By David Conway

Published Sept. 25, 2009

After a fiscal year in which the Division of Information Technology fee carryover funds almost doubled to $2.9 million, a DoIT committee met Monday for the first time this academic year.

The meeting focused on these carryover funds and the need to develop a plan to better deal with funding changes. The committee reviewed recommendations on spending made by the Teaching and Learning Task Force this summer, a committee co-chaired by Kevin Bailey, director of customer service and support within the division, and Education Technology Director Danna Vessell.

Bailey said the task force focused on three things: increasing support of information technology, the use of various software tools and the internal development of applications. The committee elected to take time to consider most of the recommendations, putting off a vote until October.

The committee did approve two recommendations made by the task force, voting to ask the provost to allow the funding of a new library search tool called Summon and the purchase of cameras, microphones and other equipment to loan out to students.

The committee also discussed the creation of an MU-only IT fee, MSA spokesman Tim Noce said. All students at any UM system campus pay an IT fee of $12.20 per credit hour, but due to higher enrollment, MU collects a disproportionate amount of money compared to smaller schools in the system.

Noce said the de-coupling of the fee from the UM system, an idea created in part by DoIT, would most likely lower the IT fee for MU students. The university can afford to make this move, Noce said, due to a high level of enrollment. Such a move could be made by next month at the earliest.

Although open to the change, Bailey said no adjustments to the IT fee were imminent. Any approved changes would first have to go through the UM system Board of Curators, Bailey said.

"We're not against dropping the fee if it's reasonable," Bailey said. "Our stance was 'work out what we need to invest in and work from there.' I think between the IT committee and the task force, we're going to be able to come up with a pretty good strategic plan."

The presence of a student voice on the committee, which had been absent in the past, was a welcome change of pace for both sides, Noce said.

"For the most part, the IT committee is extremely happy to have student representation," Noce said.

Noce said students have voiced a need for dependable wireless coverage, Web and server storage space and reliable tech support.

The Graduate Professional Council, which also has a presence on the committee, expressed an interest in the library search tool and improving technology in the classroom, Bailey said.

Matt Brinkman, another student representative on the committee, said they're determined to forge a solid plan of action above all else and focus on a watchful eye on the budget, assembling a qualified staff and the prioritizing of issues before acting on them.

For now, there will be no change in the status of the IT fee.

"As soon as we're done with that task force we should know what to do with the fee," Bailey said.