Media Statement on Lab Fees

TO SUPPORT RECENT PUBLIC NOTICE, DATED MARCH 28, 2017

Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. (Monday, March 28, 2017) – Due to curriculum requirements to use material and part-time staff to support students and the learning process, as required by law, Broward College announced it is proposing an increase to some laboratory fees. For a list of courses affected, please refer to the public notice published on March 28, 2017. To view a list of all fees, including fees that have been reduced, removed, or maintained please click here.

All laboratory fees are used to purchase supplies and equipment that are specifically related to the student learning outcomes and objectives of the course, including science specimens and cultures, dental face shields, sterilization supplies, program-specific software, or forensic supplies. The fees also are used to support part-time personnel who work in laboratories and support the students. 

The proposed fee increases are a result of analyzing actually paid enrollment and the actual annual expenditures for the courses. Typically, fee increases occur for three reasons:

• Enrollment Fluctuations: Student enrollment has an inverse relationship with the laboratory fee and if enrollment in a course decreases, then the laboratory fee increases. The overall expenditures for the course may remain the same but, the per-student cost is increased due to the decrease in enrollment.
• Increases to the Cost of Expenditures: In situations where enrollment either stays flat or increases, the laboratory fee adjustment is the result of increases to expenses related to that course. The College’s procurement process requires departments to obtain multiple bids and/or quotes, depending on the overall cost of the “goods or service.”  Systems are in place to ensure that the procurement process is securing the expenditures at an affordable cost to the student.
• Revisions to Curriculum and Courses: If a course is no longer offered at the college or the curriculum changes, these changes impact the percentage allocation of courses that share expenditures. When the percentage allocation changes there is a direct impact on the laboratory fee for those courses.  

Florida Statute 1009.23(12)(a) grants authority to Florida College System institutional board of trustees to establish laboratory fees that “shall not exceed the cost of services provided and shall only be charged to persons receiving the service.” In order to comply with this legislation, Broward College created a specific institutional policy and procedure that governs the creation, review, and adjustment of laboratory fees. The review process includes an analysis of the actually paid enrollment for the course(s) and the actual allowable expenditures related to the course(s).

The fee modifications will be presented to the Broward College Board of Trustees at the Tuesday, April 25 meeting. The meeting is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. and will be held at the Judson A. Samuels South Campus in the South Regional Library.