On Monday, Feb. 23, students will have the opportunity to vote
for new executive-board members for the Saint Louis University
Student Government Association. In addition to casting a vote for
the executive board, students can also vote on a proposed $15
activity fee increase.

Currently, students pay $30 per semester for activities that
occur on campus, such as concerts and comedians sponsored by the
Student Activities Board, and it supports chartered student
organizations that sponsor various activities for students.

If the referendum passes, SGA suggests activities on campus will
improve; however, this money will also go counter-balance the drop
in subsidies to CSOs from student development next year.

This decrease in funding from student development is mainly due
to the budget cuts that each department has been asked to make over
the past year. The referendum will basically serve to assure that,
next year, the CSOs will be able to receive as much funding as they
do this year, and possibly more.

If the referendum is not passed, SGA could face a shortfall next
year when CSOs attempt to access the funds they will be allotted
this March during the funding process.

The $15 activity fee increase is a referendum in that it is a
tax that students place upon themselves; from there, the CSOs use
the money to fund activities on campus. Megan Kinney, the Reinert
Hall senator, encourages students to vote for the increase: “It
will increase overall opportunities for students in organizations,
and increase the school spirit of the entire University because it
will bring in so many more events,” she said.

SLU’s activity fee is far less expensive than other comparable
institutions. Students at surrounding universities such as
Washington University pay $283 per year, or 1 percent of their
tuition, and students at Marquette pay $116 per year. Both of these
schools, along with most other universities across the nation, have
their activities fees mandated by the administration, unlike
SLU.

“We are pretty unique as a university in that we, as students,
decide and vote on the money that our student government will be
able to allocate as opposed to having that number given to us by
administrative people,” referendum co-author Erica Rancilio
said.

SGA also proposed this plan because budgets for organizations
are increasing. The last time the activity fee was increased was
three years ago.

For students that are not particularly interested in campus-wide
activities, Kinney said, “I encourage them to vote because when the
CSOs have more money, there will be events to appease more
students.”

The activities fee does not only support concerts and large
events, it can also allow club sports teams to attend more
tournaments and travel more. “It will decrease the apathy of
students and increase school spirit and unity; things you can’t put
a price on,” Kinney said.