During the UOSA fall general elections on Nov. 10 and 11, students will have a say in whether or not another fee is added to the list of costs already paid to attend OU. The fee, which would cost students $2 per semester, would help pay for financially strained students to study abroad.

At first glance this may seem like an additional fee for cash-strapped students, but we encourage members of the OU community to approve this one.

First of all, $2 per semester is not a significant financial burden. Of course all students are in different financial situations, and to some, even a small fee may be tough to swallow. But compared to many of the fees students must pay, this one is relatively small. It’s only $16 over four years.

Second, the money would be collected for a great cause. The opportunity to study abroad is one every student should have. But it can be hard to pay for, especially for students who are in a tough financial situation. If this fee gets approved, it would help alleviate the financial strain for some students who want to study abroad but could not afford to.

Some who oppose the passage of this fee might say they don’t want to pay more money to OU, especially if the money they pay does not directly benefit them.

Why should more affluent students pay to allow students with less financial security to study abroad?

Well, we believe we are all members of the OU community, and we should help one another out. This fee would provide an opportunity to do this.

Finally, we are in favor of this fee because it would help solidify a legacy of significant study abroad opportunities at OU.

President David Boren has done a lot to improve OU’s study abroad program. But Boren will not be here forever, and we don’t know who the next president of OU will be, let alone his or her attitude about studying abroad.

If this fee were passed, we would know there is a future for OU students to study abroad. The money would already be there.