Student Activity fee to increase

By Benjamin Engle

The Union College Board of Trustees is scheduled to meet during ReUnion weekend to approve the College's budget for the 2010-2011 fiscal year. However, in February 2010, for the second consecutive year, the Board of Trustees approved an increase in the comprehensive fee (tuition) to attend Union.

The comprehensive fee for the 2010-11 academic year will be $52,329, up from $50,439 in 2009-10, a difference of $1890 for an overall increase of approximately 3.7%. The Student Activity fee, which is included in the comprehensive fee, will also increase in the upcoming year.

According to Karen Chan '10,Student Forum Vice President of Finance, the Student Activity fee will increase from $336 in 2009-10 to $351 in 2010-11, an increase of $15. In 2009-10, Student Forum controlled a budget of approximately $672,000 and will increase to over $700,000 in 2010-11.

The Student Activity budget is funded through the Student Activity fee and is controlled by Student Forum, the overseeing student body of clubs and organizations on campus. Unlike Minerva House budgets, which have a flat fee and have not changed, the Student Activity fee is set to rise with tuition.

The Student Forum Finance Committee is responsible for asking club finance representatives for budget proposals and allocating money from the Student Activity budget for various clubs and events on campus.

"We like to give money for great ideas and events, but we have to make sure clubs and events are not exclusive," Chan said. "Everything is student run and organized for the student body."

As Vice President of Finance, Chan's goal has been to make the Student Forum budget process more understandable.

"My role is to make the budget process more transparent and to help make sure that events and clubs are beneficial to the community," Chan said.

During her tenure as Vice President, she has established mid-year evaluations for clubs to ensure that they are spending their money effectively and efficiently throughout the academic year.

While Chan did not want to release the specific budget analysis for the current fiscal year, most of the money allocated by Student Forum is for the social clubs, not the academic or intellectual organizations.

Even with the annual increase of the Student Activity budget, Student Forum allocates almost all the money in its budget for new clubs and events as well as to increase support for existing programs.

Of its budget during the 2009-10 academic year, Student Forum allocates the most money to SpringFest Committee and to U-Program Committee.

This year, SpringFest was allocated $90,000 and requested and was approved for an additional $20,000 for a total of $110,000 or 16.37% of the total Student Activity budget. U-Program, which offers programming numerous times each term, was allocated $100,000 in 2009-10 or 14.88% of the total Student Activity budget.

While Chan and the rest of the Student Forum Finance Committee carefully analyze the pros and cons of every club and organization on campus before allocating funding, Chan believes that Student Forum needs to be responsible when allocating student funds.

"I am pushing Student Forum to re-evaluate the Student Activity fee for 2011-2012," Chan said. "We can do many things, we can freeze [the fee] or we can have it raise with tuition during certain years."

Even though the Board of Trustees sets the comprehensive fee, neither the administration nor the Board of Trustees has told Student Forum what to do concerning their budget or the Student Activity fee. Class of 2012 Secretary/Treasurer Aaron Glosser '12 believes that Student Forum should look closely at the Student Activities fee.

"Student Forum tends to have a surplus at the end of every year. To freeze or lower the Student Activities fee will have little effect on students, and reduce the strain of college tuition for families," said Glosser. "I believe freezing the Student Activities fee is a good way to decrease the amount that tuition rises each year. Given the current economic turmoil, it is important for every department at Union to think about fiscal responsibility, including student activities."

While Glosser contends that Student Forum has a surplus at the end of each year, Chan believes that Student Activities needs the increase in revenue to meet the expectations that the student body has of the organization.

"Events such as SpringFest cost more to produce and big names are demanded," Chan said.

Additionally, Student Forum has supported a lot of new clubs and organizations on campus, such as Ski Club and Outing Club, and has them expand and plan new events.

Chan also suggested that the Student Activities fee keeps campus speakers, concerts, and club activities, such as bowling, either at no or low additional cost to students, which is part of the draw for many on campus.

Even though Student Forum tries to allocate money to groups that will help students expand their horizons and meet campus needs, they often turn down events because of cost or their overall value that they will bring to campus, such as not allocating money to bring comedian Bill Hader of Saturday Night Live and Superbad to campus.

On the other hand, Student Forum has also had to fund events and clubs that were in danger of being cut due to departmental cuts, such as the club hockey team and LobsterFest.

In previous years, LobsterFest was paid for by dining services. However, this year, LobsterFest costs between $15,000 and $20,000 and is paid for by Student Forum.

"People expect free trips, free SpringFest, but at some point we have to say no because we have to make due with what we have," Chan added.

Chan encourages students to attend Student Forum meetings and voice their opinions on campus topics. Every Student Forum meeting is open to the entire campus and are held in room 410 of the Reamer Campus Center on Tuesdays at 5 p.m.

"Student Forum needs to make students aware of the economic recession," Chan said. "We really need to think about proposals to see if an event is cost effective." While Chan believes that Student Forum needs to re-evaluate the Student Activity fee, she believes that the body is moving in a positive direction.

"Student Forum must draw attention to problems, which is not an overnight change because of campus demands and wants," Chan said. "There is more work to be done."

Originally published in Union's Concordy on 4/29/10