If there's to be a new indoor aquatic and eventually a wellness center at Bismarck State College, the school should resist mightily the temptation to seek higher student fees to help finance it.

Student fees are academia's version of rabbits.

Fees levied on students in particular fields of study are entirely appropriate. General fees, however, beget purpose-driven fees. BSC students in the 2007-08 period are paying general fees of $15.62 per credit hour up to 13 credits, the maximum. Wait - we're not done. There's the $6.75 per-credit-hour fee for the notorious ConnectND system. (That's waiting for another editorial on another day.) Now, the North Dakota Student Association fee is a real deal at a mere 3 cents per credit hour up to 12.

Bear in mind that BSC itself is a genuine bargain in tuition and fees. But to shovel on a new $4 per credit hour fee, capped at $60 a semester, for a student's use of a swimming pool is over the top for many students. The wellness center wouldn't even be in the first phase.

The idea of BSC partnering with the Bismarck Parks and Recreation District to provide an indoor aquatic facility has many undeniable merits. But much thought needs to go into the funding of its construction and operation. A joint powers agreement would define the relationship.

A group of enthusiasts in a nonprofit group led by businessman Dennis Kemmesat is said to still be interested in participating in making the construction of an indoor water sports venue affordable.

The Community Bowl illustrates the benefits of partnerships such as the one between the park district and BSC.

The park board has a vision of that partnership in which the bowl would be enhanced in connection with construction of the water facility.

There are attractive ideas on the table, but BSC needs to remember its main purpose, education, and be mindful of an obligation to keep higher education as affordable as possible.

Involving the public in recreation on the college campus is laudable, but fairness should be paramount. BSC students shouldn't be elbowed aside so that there can be high school swim meets or recreational use of the pool by water aerobics devotees.

Not all BSC students are going to want to dive into the college pool in mid-January, or ever, during the duration of their degree programs. They shouldn't bear any share of the expense of operating an aquatic facility if they're not going to be users.

The park district has survey results to fortify its claim that an indoor aquatic facility is the public's No. 1 priority for building new recreational facilities. That's fine, but the interests of BSC students should be protected.

That includes not feeing them into poverty.