Thursday, December 19, 2013            Print   Email 
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Fees not meant to fix debt, UH students tell lawmakers  By Chris
Mikesell   University of Hawaii students who pay hundreds of
dollars a semester in student fees say that money should not be
used to help balance the state budget.  A bill introduced by
Sen. Malama Solomon (D, Hilo-Honokaa) would take the money in
138 state special funds, including money from University of
Hawaii student fees, and add them to the state's general fund.
"They shouldn't take the student fee money because that's
something we worked hard for and our parents worked hard for,"
said UH-Manoa sophomore Thadd Chang, 19.  Chang, like the more
than 20,000 other full-time undergraduate UH-Manoa students,
pays $216 a semester in student activity fees.  Ryan Averderada,
a student senator from Honolulu Community College, said students
fear that once the funds are taken, they will never come back.
"The fees that are paid into