A student’s tuition is supposed to cover everything needed for campus life: course and program fees, instructional materials, miscellaneous fees, and most importantly, facilities. These spaces are essential not just for learning, but also to capacitate student initiatives. Yet students now face a growing list of campus venues that charge additional fees, raising concerns about whether tuition guarantees the accessibility it promises.
The Silliman University (SU) Main Library recently proposed a new policy to develop a pricing structure for the use of its spaces, both for SU affiliated organizations and academic units, alongside external groups. The library, however, would not be the first to implement such a rule. Other in-campus venues such as the Multi-Purpose Room, Audio-Visual Theater, and Gymnasium charge as much as ₱500 or more, depending on the specific use and duration.
According to SU Head Librarian Rosalina Dinoy, the new policy is meant to generate revenue for the library’s services, maintenance, and future improvements. While the intention is not misplaced, the burden should not fall on the students who already pay mandatory library fees.
One of the payments placed under the miscellaneous fees includes the library fee, with costs ranging from ₱800 to ₱3,400, which is contingent on whether a student is part of an undergraduate, graduate, or medical school program. Charging student organizations, most of which operate with an already limited budget, places yet another expense that could have been better allocated to resources that help sustain their activities and events.
This poses the larger question of why students are being asked to pay for spaces they should already have free access to when, in the first place, it is the university’s responsibility to support the functions of their amenities? Instead of incentivizing library use, the new policy will only further discourage student-led organizations from placing a reservation and force them to search for cheaper, or totally free alternatives.
The Weekly Sillimanian urged the university administration to convene with college representatives to explore solutions that do not compromise convenience and accessibility to all campus venues requiring payment, not just the library. Imposing extra fees stifles student engagement, which is precisely the outcome the university should seek to encourage.
The university cannot reinforce its commitment to serving the students while placing financial barriers between them and the facilities necessary for student life. It is better late than never to invest in policies that strengthen the support systems that students rely on, not restrict it.
