Operating expenses

This is meant to be a buffer post from the previous post, so I won't have sad news gracing the top of my blog for a long time.

While sitting in The Terrace, the canteen located at NUS Business School , I noticed that the lights were on. It was 3pm in the afternoon, so any justifications as to why the lights are on? I asked my friend about this phenomenon and he replied that it has always been like that. I must have missed it out. It makes me wonder, does this blatant waste of electricity contribute to varsity fee hike of 5%?

The reason given by NUS for the fee hike was "increase in operating expenses". In general, operating expenses would mean the expenses relating directly to an organisation's core activities. For a retail outlet, OE would include marketing, renting of retail space, hiring of workers, etc. For a school, OE would include hiring of teaching staff, marketing, maintenance of teaching facilities - libraries, lecture halls, labs (bizarre isn't it? All begins with L) etc. Does utilities fall under OE?

I feel that NUS has not been transparent. All we have is its word that OE has increased. Where are the numbers? You do keep reports, don't you? I tried looking for some form of financial statements for NUS but the search was futile. Perhaps I didn't try hard enough but I suspect that such statements were never released at all.

Up to this point, you may have noticed that I'm a disgruntled student. Indeed, I am.

It is within reasonable grounds to raise fees due to increased expenses but it is beyond reasonable grounds to do so, without any numerical proof. The Ministry of Manpower doesn't simply say, "Hey, guess what? Unemployment is at an all time low! Let's celebrate!"; it shows the exact employment and unemployment figures. Personally, I do not believe in those figures but my point is this: if MOM wants to hoodwink the populace and at least bothered to make up some phony figures, why shouldn't NUS do the same? Not that I will feel less upset, should NUS really throw up some figures.

In an email to all NUS students addressing the reasons for the fee hike, there was mention of a particular percentage increase in OE. That is not good enough; I want to see all the past financial statements. I cannot remember the exact number that they quoted but I think it's in the ballpark of 20%.

You may wonder: Why bring this up after so long? Well, it takes time for the feeling of dissent to build up. Unlike others, the longer I brood over an unhappy issue, the more upset I get. Some may suggest that I bring this up to NUS, demand them to show me their financial figures and appease myself once and for all. Well, I could do that but there is no basis for them to entertain me, just another disgruntled student.