SLIPPERY ROCK — The Slippery Rock University Council of Trustees routinely approves the fees and cost increases proposed by the administration.

However, that was not the case Friday as the trustees rejected five fee hikes but approved three others. Several of the actions were made by split votes.

Here are the actions the trustees took.

Fees approved

They voted 6-4 to increase payment plan fees for students who make installments on student account bills from $25 to $40, with Matt Lautman, Bill McCarrier, Dennis Murray, Laura Ordaz, Matt Shaner and Jeff Smith voting yes and Robert Marcus, Bob Taylor, Mary Jo White and Suzanne Vessella voting no.

The trustees also voted 6-4 to increase the returned check fee from $15 to $30, with Lautman, McCarrier, Murray, Shaner, Smith and White voting yes and Marcus, Ordaz, Taylor and Vessella voting no.

A motion to increase the meal plan fee by 2.75 percent was voted down, 2-8. However, a second motion to increase the meal plan fee by 2.1 percent was approved 8-0.

Taylor said that a 2.1 percent increase was required by contract.

Fees rejected

Trustees did not approve a 2 percent increase to residence hall fees, which would have been for students in North and Rhodes halls and the ROCK Apartments, by a vote of 4-6, with Lautman, McCarrier, Ordaz and Shaner voting in favor of the increase and Marcus, Murray, Smith, Taylor, White and Vessella voting against it.

Lautman said that the student government association on March 10 voted to support the residence hall and meal plan increases.

Trustees also voted 5-5 against an increase of the late payment fee from $15 to $30, with Lautman, McCarrier, Murray, Shaner and Smith voting for it and Marcus, Ordaz, Taylor, White and Vessella voting against it.

Parking passes will stay the same next year since trustees did not approve an increase from $25 to $50. Only Lautman, Murray and Shaner voted for the increase.

An applied music fee of $150 for a semester of 30-minute private lessons or $300 for a semester of 1-hour lessons also was voted down 2-8, with only Shaner and Smith voting in favor of it.

Murray said the music department said that the fee could have raised $54,000 next year.

Marcus said he voted against all of the fee increases except for one that was required by contract, and said he would continue to do so. He said he is offended that so much cost burden is being placed on students and their parents at state schools.

“That’s a shame,” Marcus said.

He said legislators have to step up to solve the funding issue.

Smith said that the trustees took the votes seriously.

“The votes weren’t easy votes,” he said.