Student Services Fees Policies

1. Regents Policy
2. Committee Operating Procedures
3. Fees Committee Selection
4. Criteria for Decision-Making
5. Minimum Requirements for Applying
6. The Penny Fee Conversion
7. Fee Reserves

Board of Regents Policy

Student Service Fees

Section I. Scope

• This policy governs assessment of the University of Minnesota (University) student services fee, which funds non-instructional programs and activities; supplements the academic curriculum; and is an integral part of the University’s educational experience.

Section II. Definitions

• Subd. 1. Student Services Fee. Student services fee shall mean the mandatory annual fee assessed to designated students to provide funding for student programs, activities, and services on each campus.
• Subd. 2. Student Services Fee Committee. Student Services Fee Committee shall mean the committee established on each campus to review and recommend annually the student services fee.
• Subd. 2. Student Services Fee Committee. Student Services Fee Committee shall mean the committee established on each campus to review and recommend annually the student services fee.
• Subd. 3. Designated Students. Designated Students mean all students registered for:
  1. six or more credits per semester; or
  2. three or more credits per summer session.
  Credits for off-campus distance classes are excluded from the total credit count.

Section III. Guiding Principles

• The following principles shall guide the assessment of the student services fee:
  1. Fee-supported programs, activities, and services shall be available to all students assessed the fee;
  2. All persons involved in the development of the student services fee shall recognize the relationship of the student services fee to the total tuition and other costs of education for students;
  3. The University's educational mission is well served when students have the means to engage in dynamic discussions of diverse topics in their extracurricular campus life;
  4. Decisions regarding the allocation of fees among student groups shall be made in a viewpoint-neutral manner.

Section IV. Assessment and Use of the Student Services Fee

• Subd. 1. Assessed Students. The student services fee shall be assessed on all designated students.
• Subd. 2. Fee Exemptions. The following students shall be exempt from assessment of the student services fee:
  1. non-degree seeking students;
  2. post-secondary education option students and concurrent high school enrollment program students;
  3. those students not designated, as defined in Section II; and
  4. others as approved by the president or delegate.
• Subd. 3. Special Assessments. Special assessments to the student services fee may be authorized by the fees committee for clearly defined classes of students.
• Subd. 4. Optional Fees. Registered students exempt from paying the student services fee have the option of paying the full fee or paying optional fees if offered by individual fee-receiving units.
• Subd. 5. Prohibited Uses. The student services fee may not be used to fund courses or activities for which academic credit is offered within a department where credit is the primary focus of the course or activity.
• Subd. 6. Capital Improvements. A request for funding of a capital improvement shall be approved by the fees committee on each campus. Such improvements shall not be subject to revision except in the most severe circumstances.

Section V. Student Services Fee Committee

• The student services fee committee established on each campus shall adhere to the following.
• Subd. 1. Representation. The student services fee committee shall have at least a student majority, and all members of the committee shall have the right to vote. The student, faculty, and administrative staff members shall be appointed under committee procedures in effect on each campus.
• Subd. 2. Validation of Fee Payment. Student members of the student services fee committee shall demonstrate payment of the student services fee each semester throughout their terms. Summer session payment is not required.
• Subd. 3. Administrative Assistance. Each student services fee committee shall receive administrative assistance from the respective campus administrations and student associations.

Section VI. Delegation of Authority

• Subd. 1. Recommendations. The president shall recommend for Board of Regents action student services fees for each campus in the Annual Operating Budget.

• (Adopted by the Board of Regents: July 9, 1982)
• (Amended by the Board of Regents: June 12, 1987)
• (Amended by the Board of Regents: February 12, 1999)
• (Amended by the Board of Regents: June 10, 2005)

Committee Operating Procedures

Student Fees Committee Operating Procedures

Parliamentary Procedures

1. All business conducted by the Student Services Fees Committee, to include procedures not specifically expressed in this document, will be guided by Robert’s Rules of Order. These rules may be set aside or amended by the Committee at any time and for any length of time by a two-thirds vote. (Student organizations committee only)
2. A quorum will consist of a majority of the members appointed. Of the quorum, the majority must consist of students versus other representatives. This rule may be amended at the beginning of a meeting by a majority vote, but only after quorum has been initially established and the Committee is aware of members who must depart before business can be concluded. The amended rule will automatically be nullified once the Committee has adjourned for that business day.
3. A member may be expelled from the Committee by a two-thirds vote. Charges against the member may not be published.
4. The Chair cannot assign a member to act as Chair on a future date. In the event of the Chair’s absence, the Committee, by majority vote, appoints a Chair pro tem (temporary). The entrance of the Chair will terminate the appointment.

General Procedures

1. Announcement of informational meetings for fees-receiving organizations will be announced in the Minnesota Daily. Any registered student organization may attend a meeting and get the forms to apply for student services fees. Forms are also available online at www.sao.umn.edu/groups/funding/fees/. (Student organizations only)
2. Organizations and departments making requests must submit standardized budget request forms to the Fees Committee for review by the specified deadline.
3. The Student Services Fees Committee will not accept incomplete budget request forms from any student organization or administrative unit. Resolutions from the final hearing will be sent to all fees-receiving organizations and departments within one month of the final hearing. Financial audits are required of every organization and department requesting student services fees.
4. Any supplemental information must be submitted to the Fee Committee and Fee Committee Advisor at least 48 hours prior to budget presentation/hearing to allow for evaluation by the Fee Committee.
5. The Fees Committee has the right to request follow-up information related to a request for funds. If an organization or department cannot provide the follow-up information requested, the organization should so inform the Fees Committee and should provide an explanation why such information is not available, within a week of the request being forwarded to the unit.
6. The Fees Committee has the right to request evidence that fee funds awarded in the past have been spent in furthering the goals stated by that student organization or department in its budget request
7. The Fees Committee conducts budget hearings for individual organizations and departments requesting fees.
8. All organizations, departments or programs receiving student services fee funding must have students participating in deciding how fee money is spent. Students must be involved in the development of policies and budgets for any proposal that comes before the Student Services Fee Committee.
9. Individuals wishing to place an item on the agenda must contact the appropriate Fees Committee Chair at least one working day in advance and must supply copies of supporting documentation for all committee members at that time.
10. Any requests from fees receiving organizations and departments (extensions, special considerations) will be determined by the full committee.
11. Fees Committee members should not be a part of presentations made to the sub-committee by fees-receiving organizations or departments, or in other ways communicate to the sub-committee on behalf of the fees-receiving organizations or departments.
12. Any Fees Committee member or alternate who participates in the preparation of the fees request will communicate the level and scope of participation to the Committee Chair. The Chair will provide the information to the Full Committee prior to the budget presentations. This information will be received without prejudice.

Duties of the Chair

1. Act as presiding officer of the Student Services Fees Committee as prescribed by Robert’s Rules of Order.
2. The Chair will set the agenda. The Committee may modify the agenda by a majority vote.
3. Act as the primary spokesperson for the Committee.
4. Perform administrative duties to include, but not limited to: scheduling of meeting rooms; distribution of correspondence; publishing public hearing and redress dates/times/locations; and other duties as may be necessary.
5. Will authenticate, by signature, all acts and proceedings of the Committee when declaring its will.
6. When necessary, assign succeeding alternates to the Committee.
7. When necessary, determine whether or not late appointees to the Fee Committee should be seated on the Committee. The Chair will also determine if that person is appointed in a voting or non-voting capacity.
8. Coordinate with the Fees Committee’s Advisor on matters pertaining to the Committee and the fees process.
9. Perform all other duties as deemed necessary and proper to ensure a functional and uniform process.

Membership

1. No one (student or staff) may serve on the Fees Committee without participating in all mandatory training activities.
2. All Fees Committee members (student or staff) must be appointed by December 31 to ensure that there is sufficient time for necessary training activities.
3. Anyone (student or staff) appointed to the Fees Committee after December 31 but before fees presentations begin can only be seated on the Fees Committee at the discretion of the Chair.
4. The Chair alone may decide whether late appointees to the Fees Committee (student or staff) should be seated in a voting or non-voting capacity.
5. No Fees Committee member (student or staff) may be seated on the Fees Committee once fees presentations have begun.

Alternates

1. Alternates may participate in all discussions, but alternates may not vote.
2. Alternates will replace student positions on the committee and sub-committee that become vacant and will become voting members at that time.
3. Assignment of alternates will not occur on or after the first budget presentation. Quorum will be adjusted accordingly.
4. Alternates need to communicate on a regular basis with the Chair and Sub-Committee Chairs

Voting

1. Votes by proxy are not allowed.
2. Absentee ballots are not allowed.
3. Any elections will be done by secret ballot.
4. Any official action will require majority approval of those casting a yes or no vote.
5. Fee committee members shall not vote on the allocation of a group of which they are elected, appointed, or employed.

Quorum

• A quorum is declared as over 50 percent of the filled seats of the voting members on the committee.

Rules of Conduct

• The Committee reserves the right, by two-thirds vote, to set the rules of conduct for its members.

Minutes

• Minutes of all full committee and subcommittee meetings will be available to the public upon request and will consist of all resolutions adopted as well as minority statements and statements of strong personal objection. In general, the minutes of the meetings will serve as the mode of communicating information to the public.

Student Services Fee Paid by Members

• All student members appointed to the Committee will pay the Student Services Fee during the Fall and Spring semesters. Appointed members will not be required to pay the fee during Summer Sessions.

Public Participation

1. There will be 2 public hearings for the student organizations committee and 1 public hearing for the administrative units committee. A final administrative public hearing will be held with the Vice Provost for Student Affairs after the committee has completed their work.
2. Meetings of the full Fee Committee and Sub-Committees are open to the public for observation. Participation by guests is permitted only by 2/3 vote of those committee members in attendance.

Time Allotted for Hearings

• Time allotment for budget hearings is up to the discretion of each individual sub-committees. A minimum of 30 minutes will be scheduled for each organization applying for fees.

Meetings between Organizations/Departments and the Committee

As determined by the Fees Working Group 9/05

• Following the final public hearing, and prior to the Fees Committee final deliberations, applicants will be allowed to request a meeting with the Fees Committee to respond to any issues or questions that have been raised. This meeting will be at the request of the organization or department and is not mandatory.

Appeals Process

As determined by the Fees Working Group 9/05

1. Following the release of the results of the final deliberation, organizations and departments will have until 5:00 pm two business days following the release of the results to submit a written appeal to the Vice Provost for Student Affairs.
2. Appeals will be in writing and can only be submitted by the leader of the organization or department.
3. The appeal should articulate the grounds of the appeal, a proposed solution, and should include sufficient documentation and evidence necessary to support the claims made in the appeal.
4. If the appeal is based on an alleged violation of University policy or procedures, the relevant policy or procedure should be clearly referenced.
5. Upon receipt of the appeal, the Vice Provost will determine if the appeal warrants further review.
6. If denied without further review, the organization or department will be notified prior to the final administrative hearing.
7. If it is determined that further review is necessary, the Vice Provost will meet with representatives from the organization or department before deciding if the appeal will lead to a change in the committee’s final decision.
8. The Vice Provost also has the discretion to meet with the chair of the appropriate committee, the Fees Advisor, and individual members of the committee, if warranted.
9. All decisions regarding the appeal will be released following the administrative public hearing with the Vice Provost.

Revised October 24, 2005

Fees Committee Selection

Student Fees Committee Selection Process

1. The Student Members Selection Committee shall consist of 4 voting members.
2. The voting membership shall consist of 2 students selected by the Minnesota Student Association and 2 students selected by the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly.
3. 15 (9 for the student organizations committee and 6 for the administrative units committee) at-large representatives and 8 (4 for each committee) ranked alternates to the Fees Committee shall be selected by a majority of the voting selection committee members.
4. 15 at-large representatives to the Fees Committee shall be appointed for terms which end after Board of Regents final approval of the student services fee. typically in June. The exception will be the chairs of the committees whose terms will last until the selection of the next committee.
5. Re-application to the selection committee is required to be approved for additional terms.
6. 4 administrators shall be appointed by the Vice Provost for Student Affairs. At least one appointee on the administrative units committee will represent the budget office within the Office of the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost. The chairperson of each committee shall be a student member.

Expectations Of Student Fees Committee Members

1. A commitment of approximately 50 hours mostly between January and March.
2. Attendance at the training sessions for the Fee Committee.
3. If you are an active member of a fees receiving organization you will not serve on the sub-committee that reviews the request of the organization.
4. Each member will develop a thorough understanding of the budget requests.
5. Attendance at budget request presentations.
6. Attendance at public hearings.
7. Each member will be expected to attend the entire session of the final hearing.

Fees Committee Member Stipends

As determined by the Fees Working Group 9/05

1. The stipend for service on the fees committee is as follows: $500 for general members and alternates, $600 for subcommittee chairs, and $750 for committee chairs. Staff members will not receive stipends.
2. Members will sign a contract at the beginning of their term outlining the expectations above. Failure to comply with these expectations during the term will result in loss of the stipend. In addition, if a committee member is expelled or resigns from the committee before the end of the term, no stipend will be awarded.
3. Stipends for general members and subcommittee chairs will be disbursed in full at the end of the academic year. Chairs will receive $500 of their stipend at this time. The remainder will be paid at the end of the term.

Criteria for Decision Making

Student Fees Committee Guidelines for Decision-Making

1. The Student Fees Committee is charged with making responsible, viewpoint-neutral recommendations for awarding fees funding to student organizations. The committee must evaluate requests according to the viewpoint-neutral criteria listed below. While the committee has the authority to weight and apply the criteria, the committee must consistently apply all criteria to each group applying for student services fees. The committee may not consider the viewpoint of requesting groups in making funding decisions.
2. Fulfillment of the following does not guarantee approval for funding:
3. Extent of contribution to one or more of the following:
• Providing a service to the student body.
• Supplementing the academic curriculum.
• Helping to foster a sense of community on the Twin Cities campus.
4. Quality and quantity of programs and services provided to the student body, consistent with the mission of the organization.
5. Extent of and demand for the programs and services provided. Groups must quantify their answer by such things as attendance numbers at events, number of phone calls / office visits, inquiries, etc. Groups must specify the method of tabulation and provide specific documentation upon request.
6. Breadth of service to students across academic departments or academic units.
7. Targeting of programs and services to the largest number of students consistent with the need.
8. Demonstration of benefits of programs and services to students who pay the student services fees but do not participate in the programs and services.
9. Efforts to secure funding in addition to the student services fees.
10. Demonstration of financial need that cannot be fulfilled with alternative sources of income.
11. Maintaining an operating reserve of approximately 10 percent. Deviation requires approval from the Student Fees Committee.
12. Demonstration of compliance with the audit/agreed-upon procedures performed by audit firm designated by the Student Fees Committee.
13. Written justification of significant deviation from the proposed budget outlined in the prior year’s student services fees request.
14. Previous access to funding from student services fees shall not be considered when evaluating requests.

Updated and approved by the Student Fees Task Force Working Group 8/01
Approved by the SCSA fees subcommittee 11/30/01

Minimum Requirements for Applying

Minimum Requirements for Applying for Student Services Fees for Student Groups

1. Groups applying for student fees must be a university department and/or a student group that is currently registered with the Student Activities Office, at least one year prior to applying.
2. Groups must be non-profit organizations.
3. Partisan political organizations are not eligible for student services fees. “Partisan political organizations” are organizations affiliated with a registered political party or which are formed for the purpose of supporting a political party.
4. All groups receiving student services fees funding must have students participating in deciding how fee money is spent. Students must be involved in the development of policies and budgets for any proposal that comes before the Student Services Fees Committee.
5. Groups receiving funds from the student services fees shall demonstrate expenditures in general compliance with their submitted budgets.
6. All budgets and all financial records for all groups currently receiving funds from student services fees shall be available for student inspection.
7. All groups currently receiving funds from student services fees must be audited by the designated independent auditing firm contracted to perform audits of fee receiving organizations. Copies of audits will be attached to the standardized request form submitted to the Student Services Fees Committee. All financial records must be submitted in a timely manner.
8. Demonstrated procedures must be in place to ensure accountability (programmatic, service, financial, constituency) including responses to recommendations from the management audits.
9. Membership of the organization and access to programs and services must comply with the University of Minnesota’s Equal Opportunity Statement.
10. All groups applying for student services fees must complete the standardized request form.
11. All fee-receiving groups must adhere to accounting procedures approved by the Student Services Fees Consultant and the Office for Student Affairs.
12. All groups applying for student fees must comply with all deadlines established by the Student Services Fees Committee. Requests for exceptions must be submitted in writing and received at least two weeks prior to the deadline for submission. Exceptions require approval of the Student Services Fees Consultant and the chair of the Senate Committee on Student Affairs Fees Subcommittee.

Updated and approved by the Student Fees Task Force Work Group 6/20/01
Approved by the SCSA fees subcommittee 11/30/01
Updated 10/25/05

The Penny Fee Conversion

The Penny Conversion

The Penny Conversion is a formula used to convert the total dollars requested by a fees unit into a fee that is paid each semester by a student taking six or more credits for Fall and Spring semesters. The Penny Conversion is used because although the Fees Committee reviews proposals that reflect total dollars, the ultimate funding decisions made by the Committee are in the form of penny fees. The equation for converting total dollars to a penny fee is as follows:

Penny Fee = (Fiscal Year Funding - Summer Funding)* / Enrollment Multiplier

Where: Penny Fee represents the dollar amount of the Student Fee that is being paid to support the fee unit; Fiscal Year Funding represents the total Student Fees Income that is being recommended for the entire fiscal year of the fees unit; Summer Funding represents the portion of the fiscal year funding that is paid for by the collection of student fees for Summer Session; and Enrollment Multiplier represents the estimated total count of students who will be enrolled for six or more credits for Fall and Spring semesters.

* - Summer Funding is subtracted from Fiscal Year Funding for two reasons. First, Summer Enrollments are not included in the Enrollment Multiplier, because Summer Session fees are based upon prior year's regular session student fees, as approved by the Fees Committee of the previous year. Second, there is a significant timing difference between most of the unit fiscal years (which treat Summer Session Fees as the initial Student Fees Income received) and the fees cycle year (which treat Summer Session Fees as the final portion of Student Fees Income to be distributed).

EXAMPLE: Assume that the Committee decides to award student fees funding to a unit in the amount of $ 60,000.00 for the 2002-03 fiscal year, that the unit will receive $ 7,000 in student fees for Summer Session, 2003, and that the number of students enrolled for 6 or more credits for the semesters of Fall 2002 and Spring 2003 is estimated to be 59,280. The penny fee formula for this example would be:

Penny Fee = ($ 60,000 - $ 7,000) / 59,280

= $ 0.8940 (rounded to a penny fee of $ 0.89 )

NOTE: The Penny Conversion formula can only be used for Student Fees, not Special Assessments. A Student Fee is assessed on all day students taking six or more credits per semester (or three or more per Summer Session), while a Special Assessment is assessed on a certain population of students (i.e. all Institute of Technology students taking six or more credits).

Fees Reserves

Statement on Student Services Fees Reserves

It is prudent for student services fees-receiving organizations to hold funds allocated to them through the student services fees process in certain types of reserve accounts; these funds should be held in interest-bearing accounts. Fees-receiving organizations may also hold in reserve interest received from investment of such reserve funds, subject to the qualifications below, or the interest may be used for current operations. It should be recognized that fees-receiving organizations differ considerably in terms of space allocation (some units own their own building, others rent space, etc.) and in terms of plant and equipment life expectancy. For example, the equipment schedule will differ according to the type of equipment and the nature of the operation.

Operations Reserves

Maintained at no more than 10 percent of the proposed operations budget of the organization. Any amount in excess of 10 percent would be used to reduce the next operating budget.

Equipment Reserves (if applicable to your organization)

Should be limited to the estimated replacement cost of the property in question. This concept takes into account the effect of inflation on both assets and costs. The replacement costs for equipment should be calculated on a formula that represents gross dollar replacement cost, less trade-in, depending on the nature of the specific equipment and life expectancy or obsolescence factor. As a guideline, it is advisable to depreciate assets on a straight-line basis over the expected life of such assets. It is expected that fees-receiving organizations will keep an appropriate inventory record of equipment and depreciation rates set on the basis of realistic life expectancy or technological usefulness.

Long Range Planning Reserves (if applicable to your organization)

Designated for special needs, such as moving expenses or remodeling rental space to fit organizational need. All special needs must be specifically itemized and may not exceed 25 percent of the operations budget. In the case of space / remodeling, the following formula is suggested:

gross square footage x appropriate cost = physical planning office estimate for costs projected for the year in which the remodeling is scheduled

Any organization holding reserves dedicated for those uses outlined above must present appropriate documentation to the committee as a part of its fees request. Organizations holding amounts in excess of those guidelines specified above may be directed by the committee to use that excess to meet part of the organization’s fees request.