Balliol students were shocked to find this week that the college was proposing the introduction of an additional annual levy of £500 for each student.
The so-called ‘Domus Charge’ will not affect any current students, but is likely to be introduced in October 2011, meaning that next year’s freshers could be charged, despite not knowing about the extra fee when they chose to apply to Balliol.
The need for extra funding of between £300 and £500 per student has been accounted for by the financial crisis, the decline in public funding for education, the College’s need for refurbishment and its inadequate endowment.
Members of the JCR received an email from the College Master, Andrew Graham, on Saturday, which read, “I care deeply about Balliol. I also know that we exist to support and educate you, not to take money from you.
“At the same time if Balliol is to remain one of the best educational institutions in the world, the funding has to come from somewhere.”
Graham pointed out that “measured by endowment per student we are 13th in the list and easily outstripped by colleges such as Trinity, Corpus and University, not to mention Magdalen, Merton, Christ Church and St John’s.
“Yet we hear on the grapevine that even some of these wealthier colleges are currently considering comparable extra charges.”
He stated that the charge would fund “the general resources of the College,” and that it will be payable by both undergraduates and graduates, regardless of whether they choose to live in or out of College.
Students fear that such a charge will put off sixth-formers from applying to Balliol in the future. Simon Wood, JCR Admissions Officer, said it would be “naive” to think that the charge would not be a deterrent to applicants.
“College choice is largely arbitrary anyway and £500 is a large disincentive that becomes even larger the less well off you are,” he remarked.
Gross agreed, noting that “in schools with a low university participation rate, there exists a perception that Oxford is more expensive than other universities and this puts people off applying.”
“This charge would mean that Balliol would be a more expensive place to study than elsewhere, which has to have an impact on access.”
The Dean has said that the College would financially assist anyone who struggled to pay the charge, emphasising that Balliol has “a pledge- that so far we have been able to keep- that anyone we admit we keep, so no one has to leave because of their financial situation.”
Current JCR Treasurer, Greig Larmont, claimed that “not nearly enough has been done before asking students for money.
“Balliol prizes itself on its egalitarianism, and introducing a regressive up-front Domus Charge will have vast implications on access.”
However, not all students oppose the Domus Charge. JCR President Alastair Travis noted that the Master’s proposals had received a “mixed response”, with some feeling that the charge is “an obvious conclusion” to Balliol’s financial difficulties.
First year Classicist and incoming JCR Secretary, David Bagg, maintained that the charge would not have put him off applying to Balliol.
He commented, “I do not believe that new applicants from any background will be significantly deterred, since Balliol’s provision of financial aid is one of the most generous throughout the University.”
Bagg agreed that “obviously no-one wants to pay more money” but said it seemed reasonable that “students should shoulder some of the problems that affect not only the fellows, but the College as a whole.”
First-year Chemistry student Sam Ellis agreed, saying that if students “want to be able to study at a quality college that maintains a competitive position within the University and worldwide. Maybe £300 isn’t such a large contribution.”
The contentious issue will be dealt with by the JCR in its Annual General Meeting on Sunday, where a course of action is to be chosen.
The JCR Treasurer made it clear that the student body will challenge the introduction of the fee. He said, “I think it is fair to say that this will be fought hard, and no avenue of possible argument against it will be left unturned.”
