Residents of the Richardson Court Association may be paying more for their mandatory dues this year.

The RCA Student Senate met Tuesday night to discuss the 1995-96 budget. The RCA president and treasurer submitted a budget request of $35,300 to the assembly last week. That is $4,300 higher than last year’s budget.

With 365 less residents to pay dues this year, the amount per person would increase by about 35 percent to about $9.

Ash Kading, treasurer for Cessna House and a sophomore in agricultural business, presented an alternative budget to the assembly at the meeting. Kading’s proposal would cut the total RCA budget to about $28,000. This would keep the dues at $6.75, the same as last year.

Kading said he had conducted his own poll and found that students were not in favor of having their dues raised to provide more programming.

“We are tired of being nickled and dimed to death,” Kading said. He encouraged the senate to amend the budget to keep the cost of attending ISU down.

In comparison, students living in the Towers Residence Hall Association will pay $10 in dues this year and those living in the Union Drive Association will pay $6.

Heidi Frey, RCA president and a sophomore in chemical engineering, said there were several reasons for the increase in student dues.

She cited a carry-over budget, educational cultural programs, the Multicultural Awareness Support System and a proposed leadership conference.

Frey said the budget she proposed allows for the same number of events as last year.

The RCA Senate voted to postpone the budget discussion until next Monday night. The same budget must be approved at two senate meetings before it can go into effect.