The Student Activity Fee is necessary to maintain Fredonia’s vibrant club atmosphere, so vote yes to the activity fee during the Student Association’s Elections on Nov. 8 and 9.
You may be thinking, what exactly is the Student Activity Fee? The Student Activity Fee is a semesterly fee that every student pays that funds literally all of the club activities on campus. This money is divided up among the 170 plus groups that Fredonia has.
Currently the Student Activity Fee is $107.25 a semester. Now, that’s nothing at all when you realize how many events this small sum of money makes possible. This fee funds awesome events like Spectrum’s Activities Night and Family Weekend, Black Student Union’s Fashion Show and anything else a club does.
If the Student Activity Fee is made voluntary, Fredonia’s clubs and activities would be severely devastated.
As reported by The Leader in this issue, if the student activity fee is made voluntary, it’s expected that so few students would opt-in to pay that SA’s budget would have to be downscaled by ten. The current SA budget is around $1.3 million. If the fee is made voluntary, that means that SA would operate with a budget of around$10,000 dollars.
Most of the constituted groups, the highest level of group recognition available, have budgets bigger than $10,000. Spectrum, one of the biggest groups on campus, has a budget of around $100,000, but keep in mind they throw a bunch of big events that justify the cost. Imagine the decline in quality Spectrum’s events would experience if the fee is voluntary.
If you don’t participate in any clubs or events, you might be inclined to believe that this fee being voluntary is in your best interest, but you’ll be surprised to find out that really isn’t the case.
One of the main reasons people go to college is to obtain a job by specializing in a certain area of study or trade. Some clubs, including The Leader, allow students the ability to develop themselves as professionals outside of their classes. Getting rid of funding for clubs that do this seriously hinders a student’s ability to get the most out of their education.
Furthermore, the value of your degree is determined by several things. Your campus’ atmosphere and enrollment are several of the main indicators used to assess a college or university.
Without exaggerating, if this fee is made voluntary, then Fredonia’s campus atmosphere is going to be destroyed. Fredonia will likely experience even more problems with enrollment. Plus, in the process, your degree’s value will be lowered because the campus will lose much of the diversity and culture that makes it what it is.
Fredonia cannot lose its vibrant and diverse club atmosphere, so do yourself a favor and vote for a mandatory fee next week.