On Oct. 24, the ASUP Senate voted unanimously to pass a resolution that would increase the Student Government Fee from $85 to $95 per semester beginning in Fall 2017, if approved by the student body.
The resolution, called Resolution 16-01, will be put to a student body vote on Nov. 15 and 16 in an online “special election,” according to Speaker of the Senate John Akers.
ASUP will hold a press conference about Resolution 16-01 Thursday from 8:30-9:00 p.m. in the St. Mary’s lounge. There will be a presentation with information about the resolution followed by a Q&A session for students.
Part of the increased fee would go toward adding stipends for the 16 ASUP Senators, positions that have traditionally been unpaid.
The resolution would also increase the funding that goes to clubs and would create a new avenue for film screenings, called ASUP Films, that would replace the current CPB films.
The Student Government Fee is included in the tuition of all full-time undergraduate students each semester. Money collected from the fee goes toward funding student clubs, the Campus Program Board, student activities and general ASUP funding, according to the Senate’s website.
If passed, Resolution 16-01 would allocate money from the ASUP upper budget to give senators a stipend. The amount each senator would receive is still to be determined, said Akers in an email.
“We've talked about both $500 a semester and $600,” Akers said. “The exact number would depend on the budgeting process that takes place in late November.”
