Spring Break
Student Activities Fee could be uncapped
by Harry Shipps
Staff writer
News | 3/24/09
Posted online at 5:42 AM EST on 3/24/09
The Student Union has submitted a proposal to University administration to uncap the Student Activities Fee, Student Union President Jason Gray '10 said in an interview with the Justice.
Gray said that he expected the Board of Trustees to vote on the issue at the next meeting Wednesday. He added that the Union had submitted the request last week after clubs and organizations on campus required more funding.
Because of a surplus in the Student Activities budget due to the money that rolled over from year to year, the Student Union and University administration reached an agreement to cap the Student Activities Fee for the 2008 to 2009 academic year, according to Gray.
Gray explained that the SAF has traditionally been approximately 1 percent of a student's tuition that has been used to provide funds for University recognized clubs and organizations to the administration.
Union Treasurer Max Wallach '09 elaborated that as the quality of the events that clubs are hosting is improving, expenses are also increasing. "New clubs being chartered by the senate each week are increasing the burden on the finance board and SAF," Wallach said.
Gray believes that the Union's proposal will pass as the initial agreement between the Union and the University administration to cap the SFA was only temporary for one year.
Stephen Costa, a budget analyst for the Union, explained that when he began at Brandeis in January 2006, many clubs that received financial support from the University had off-campus bank accounts.
"There was all this money out there … when we started bringing everything back in-house, in [fiscal 2007], under the Student Activities Fee Reform Amendment," Costa said. He continued that organizations had to cut back on their spending before they were eligible to receive more money.
The Student Activities Reform Amendment was passed as a way to give the Finance Board more control over how much money in the SAF was allocated. Under the terms of the amendment, all student organizations must have their requests for money reviewed by the F-Board.
Gray said that he expected the Board of Trustees to vote on the issue at the next meeting Wednesday. He added that the Union had submitted the request last week after clubs and organizations on campus required more funding.
Because of a surplus in the Student Activities budget due to the money that rolled over from year to year, the Student Union and University administration reached an agreement to cap the Student Activities Fee for the 2008 to 2009 academic year, according to Gray.
Gray explained that the SAF has traditionally been approximately 1 percent of a student's tuition that has been used to provide funds for University recognized clubs and organizations to the administration.
Union Treasurer Max Wallach '09 elaborated that as the quality of the events that clubs are hosting is improving, expenses are also increasing. "New clubs being chartered by the senate each week are increasing the burden on the finance board and SAF," Wallach said.
Gray believes that the Union's proposal will pass as the initial agreement between the Union and the University administration to cap the SFA was only temporary for one year.
Stephen Costa, a budget analyst for the Union, explained that when he began at Brandeis in January 2006, many clubs that received financial support from the University had off-campus bank accounts.
"There was all this money out there … when we started bringing everything back in-house, in [fiscal 2007], under the Student Activities Fee Reform Amendment," Costa said. He continued that organizations had to cut back on their spending before they were eligible to receive more money.
The Student Activities Reform Amendment was passed as a way to give the Finance Board more control over how much money in the SAF was allocated. Under the terms of the amendment, all student organizations must have their requests for money reviewed by the F-Board.
Be the first to comment on this story