JOSH RANNEY
News Editor
On the ballot next week, along with the Student Association presidential election will be a referendum vote on the Student Activity Fee.
The Student Activity Fee is currently a mandatory fee that all students pay each semester.
This fee funds all the items, programs and the over 160 clubs and organizations overseen by the Student Association.
The fee also funds the Campus Community bus, the FredAssist Health Clinic, Intramural Sports and free legal advice to students from the SA attorney.
The fee is currently $113.50 per semester.
During the Executive Election on Nov. 13 and 14, students will have the opportunity to vote to determine whether the fee should remain mandatory or voluntary for students.
“If it is decided to stay mandatory, SA will continue to operate as we do now,” said SA President Connor Aitcheson.
If the students vote to make the fee voluntary, no amount of money will be guaranteed, and therefore may or may not be available for the things currently funded by the fee as listed above.
“I think it’s safe to say that the fee becoming voluntary would have a drastic impact on the student experience,” said Aitcheson.
He said it would threaten to greatly reduce the revenue from the Student Activity Fee and greatly impact the overall Student Association budget.
“Many of the programs we fund would be in jeopardy of not being funded,” said Aitcheson.
Examples of repercussions that Aitcheson listed were clubs not being able to request money to fund their events, the Campus Community bus would not be able to provide transportation into the town and campus student services could be greatly reduced.
“The Leader, FRS or WNYF could be affected. [It could] threaten the longevity of the FredAssist Health Clinic and Intramurals.”
Overall, Aitcheson said a situation of a voluntary activity fee could “profoundly hinder the student experience.”
Aitcheson said to his knowledge, Fredonia has never gone voluntary.
SUNY enacted the policy entitled “Student Activity Fees” in 2004 which requires that a referendum be held every two years to determine the status of the activity fee for each university.
Since the 2004 implementation, Fredonia has continuously voted to keep the Student Activity Fee mandatory.
Aitcheson has confidence that the students will vote the fee mandatory.
“I would believe that the overall consensus would be for the fee to remain mandatory to ensure these programs continue to function as they do now,” said Aitcheson.
He did reinforce the importance of voting and taking part in the election, though.
“That being said, it is crucial that our students vote,” he said. “Their voice has a direct impact on the state of the student experience at Fredonia.”
Students will receive an email in the Fredonia email inbox at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 13 in which they will find their ballot to be filled out and submitted online.