UPPS 03.02.03 - Student Service Fee Committee and Other Compulsory Student Fee Committees

POLICY STATEMENTS

1. Specific purposes of this policy are to:

   1. ensure full participation in the allocation of student service fees; and

   2. ensure the appropriate allocation and use of student service fee reserve funds.

2. Specific objectives of this policy are to:

   1. provide a mechanism for recommending the annual allocation of student service fees;

   2. provide a mechanism for review of requests for expenditures from the student service fee reserves and presentation to the president for final approval or denial;

   3. define the roles of the various participants in this process;

   4. ensure representative student participation in the process of recommending allocations from student service fees, medical service fees, campus recreation fees, and student center fees throughout the fiscal year; and

   5. provide a means for the annual updating of reference material for use by other compulsory student fee committees and the President’s Cabinet.

PROCEDURES FOR ESTABLISHING STUDENT SERVICE FEE COMMITTEE

1. Membership on the committee:

   1. * By September 1 of each year, the president of the university will appoint four faculty or staff members to the Texas State Student Service Fee Committee (SSFC) for the upcoming academic year. One of the four appointees will be the associate vice president for Student Success and dean of Students who will serve as chair of the committee. The remaining members, as listed below, will receive appointments on a rotating basis, allowing one member to rotate off the committee each year. They will be:

      1. the provost and vice president for Academic Affairs (VPAA) or the provost and VPAA’s designee;

      2. the vice president for Student Success’ designee; and

      3. a fourth person who is representative of the institution, to be selected by the president.

   2. In addition, the student body president of the Student Government will appoint five student members and one alternate student member, all enrolled for no fewer than six semester credit hours. In even-numbered years, the student body president will appoint three students to serve two-year terms and two students to serve one-year terms on the committee. In addition, one student alternate will be appointed to serve a one-year term. In odd-numbered years, the student body president will name one two-year appointment, two one-year appointments and one one-year alternate, with two two-year appointees of the former student body president finishing their second year. The alternate student member will serve a one-year term and have all rights and privileges of a regular committee member, except the right to vote. If a regular committee member cannot attend a committee meeting, the alternate shall assume the voting position. A student member who withdraws from the university will forfeit the committee position. The student members will elect one student member as the committee co-chair each year.

2. An individual appointed to a vacancy in an appointed position will serve the term’s unexpired portion in the same manner as the original appointee.

PROCEDURES FOR STUDENT SERVICE FEE COMMITTEE

1. The SSFC will make recommendations to the president via the vice president for Student Success for the allocation of student service fees only.

2. As a general rule, SSFC recommendations shall not normally exceed a ten percent allocation change from the current year to the forthcoming year for each individual funding area. However, on those occasions when the full committee feels strongly on a change of more than ten percent (increase or decrease), the committee shall forward this recommendation through the normal procedure.

3. The SSFC will meet, as needed throughout the academic year, to review allocation requests from student service fee reserves. During the annual budgetary process, the SSFC chair, in accordance with the university budget calendar, may establish procedures and timetables.

4. The committee will allocate funds for programs that provide direct services for students and that are separate and apart from the regularly scheduled academic functions of the institution (Texas Education Code Sec. 54.503).

5. Programmatic Activities

   1. The SSFC will not base allocations from compulsory student fees to registered, competing campus organizations and related programmatic activities based on content or viewpoints. Chartered student organizations may request funds via their department as long as they are not funded through another area that has income-generated fees.

   2. Sponsored events supported in whole or in part by compulsory student fees need not and should not avoid controversial political, religious, or ideological content, subject to the understanding that, under current policy, the university has a responsibility to assure an ongoing opportunity for the expression of a variety of viewpoints.

PROCEDURES FOR PLANNING, REPORTING, AND ACCOUNTABILITY

1. At the request of the chair of the SSFC and the vice president for Student Success, the director of Institutional Research will conduct a comparative study of funding for all student service fee areas at comparable Texas universities as needed. This study will be used to assist the SSFC in determining the broad areas of interest that merit funding emphasis.

2. On or before March 1 of each year, the associate vice president for Budgeting, Financial Planning, and Analysis will prepare a detailed statement of student service fee funds available for the forthcoming fiscal year. They will submit this statement to the vice president for Student Success, the vice president for Finance and Support Services, and the chair of the SSFC.

3. The vice president for Student Success will provide the SSFC with an annual statement indicating balances for student service fee reserve funds.

4. * The university will hold account managers responsible for budget overruns. Account managers will receive a copy of the August 31 account balance each year. They will have ten working days to zero out the balance through appropriate fund transfers.

PROCEDURE FOR ESTABLISHING OTHER COMPULSORY STUDENT SERVICE FEE ADVISORY COMMITTEES AND COMMITTEE GUIDELINES

1. The director of the Student Health Center, the director of the LBJ Student Center, and the director of Campus Recreation will appoint separate advisory committees each year to review and make budget recommendations. Students will make up the majority of the membership of each of these advisory committees.

   1. By September 1 of each year, the student body president will appoint two students to serve on each of the advisory committees.

   2. The advisory committees of Campus Recreation, the LBJ Student Center, and the Student Health Center will review budgets for each of their individual areas and forward their recommendations to the vice president for Student Success.

   3. The budgets developed must take into account the direct services for students and the need for maintenance and repair to facilities associated with these operations.

REVIEWERS OF THIS UPPS

1. Reviewers of this UPPS include the following:

   Position	Date
   Associate Vice President for Student Success and Dean of Students	January 1 E4Y
   Vice President for Finance and Support Services	January 1 E4Y
   Student Body President, Student Government	January 1 E4Y

CERTIFICATION STATEMENT

This UPPS has been approved by the following individuals in their official capacities and represents Texas State policy and procedure from the date of this document until superseded.

Associate Vice President for Student Success and Dean of Students; senior reviewer of this UPPS

Vice President for Student Success

President