Student Activity Fee Committee

The guiding principles for activity fee disbursements will be:

1. Improving the overall quality of the campus experience from the students' perspective;
2. Increasing the opportunity for student involvement in the educational process through the curricular experience; and
3. Enhancing the appropriate out-of-class services and programs at the campus based on the identified student needs.

The primary goals for the fee include:

• Supporting the Lane Community College (the “College”)’s Core Values, Mission, Institutional Learning Outcomes and/or Core Themes
• Improving student activities designated to increase student satisfaction and retention;
• Assisting in providing services and programs for diverse populations on a student-needs basis; and
• Enriching the campus environment and encouraging the involvement of students, thereby promoting academic achievement and student development.

Activities, services and programs that enrich and improve the co-curricular environment, both qualitatively and quantitatively, should be fostered and highly visible.

As a model of shared decision-making the Committee proposes funding to the President, who then makes a recommendation to the Board of Education. In turn, the College allocates the funds according to the fee approved by the Board of Education. Together, this partnership strengthens the College to respond to student needs and creates institutions that address them. At all times during this process, these guiding principles of content and viewpoint neutrality remain paramount.

Student Activity Fee Committee Membership and Voting

The membership of the SAFC shall consist of the following:

• A student who will serve as an elected non-voting chair,
• Lane SGA Student Leadership Director who will serve as non-voting advisor,
• 2 Lane SGA Student Government selected representatives,
• 2 student representatives selected by and from the "Unions"- MEChA, BSU, NASA, GSA and APISU
• 2 student representatives selected from other fee-receiving groups,
• 1 student representative selected by the Council of Clubs,
• 4 at-large student representatives elected through the annual Lane SGA elections process.

All voting seats on the SAFC will be held by students. The meetings will be open to the public. The Committee shall meet at least once per term. The Advisor of the Committee has authority to call for and schedule meetings. All records of the Committee shall be public records. The SAFC decision on fee allocations shall be taken by a public and recorded vote of the SAFC.

All Student Activity Fee supported organizations, services, and programs will be required to annually submit a full accounting for funds expended the previous year and a full budget explaining the basis for the forthcoming year's request by December 15 of each year. 

The SAFC will determine whether to recommend funding any request and the level of such funding. This review will be conducted in a viewpoint neutral manner to be defined as: funding decisions cannot be based in a group's point of view. An organization cannot be denied or allocated funding because it advocates a particular opinion.

The SAFC will send its recommendation to the President of Lane Community College by the end of the first week of the spring term of each year for consideration. The President will provide a recommendation to the College's Board of Education no later than the May meeting of each year. The Board shall use the same view-point neutral criteria in determining whether to accept or reject the recommendations of the SAFC and President.

Funding of Student-Initiated Programs

The SAFC shall use only the following criteria in determining whether to fund a student-initiated program:

• Extent to which a program, services or activity provides opportunities for students, either by direct participation or by participating as spectators and listeners, to develop new skills, competencies or appreciations not available elsewhere at the college;
• Extent to which the goals and objectives of the program are consistent with the College's

Mission and Core Themes, and overall goals and objectives of the College;

• Extent to which a continuing program or activity fulfilled its stated objectives of previous budget years;
• Extent to which a co-curricular program, service or activity complements or delivers student development opportunities in an appropriate learning environment;
• Extent to which a program or activity has minimal interest to the college student community;
• Extent to which a program or activity provides an appropriate service not available on campus or in the community as conveniently and/or inexpensively;
• Extent to which budget requests reflect actual costs incurred in realizing the goals and objectives of a program, service or activity.
• Extent to which program, service or activity applies viewpoint neutral decision-making to re-allocation of student activity fee funds to other student programs, services, or activities.

The SAFC shall recommend to the President of the College, changes, additions, discontinuations, and specific non-discretionary requirements for the allocation of funding in keeping with the criteria listed above. If a petition for a student-initiated program meets the requirements, the SAFC shall recommend an appropriate funding level. However, the total recommended fee allocation may not surpass the Student Activity Fee cap. The President then will take that recommendation, so long as it is consistent with this Procedure, to the Board for approval. The recommendation will then be placed on the consent agenda for approval. The Board may remove the recommendation from the consent agenda and modify it, but must do so consistent with this policy and must state the reasons for removing it from the consent agenda on the record. The Board retains ultimate authority over the allocation of this student activity fee, but is at all times required to abide by this policy and the Board's general policy of content and viewpoint neutral decision-making. If the Board rejects a recommendation by the SAFC, it must state the reasons for doing so on the record.

The criteria must be public and made available to students at all times.

Appeals

Appeals are not heard solely on the basis of disagreement with the decision of the Committee. Grounds for appeal are honored by the Committee when one of the following is found to have occurred:

1. Deviations were made from this procedure or the procedure of the committee; or
2. Facts were missing at the time of the initial review that could not reasonably have been known at the time of the review.

The steps for an appeal are as follows:

• Requestor must submit a written appeal to the SAFC no later than ten academic days from the date of the decision of the SAFC outlining the grounds for appeal and specifically identifying either the deviation in procedure or the missing facts. Any appeal not containing these elements will be denied.
• The Chairperson of the SAFC may either grant or deny review of the appeal. The Chairperson must grant the appeal if an identified deviation in procedure occurred or the facts submitted by the requestor were not present when the Committee made its initial decision. If the SAFC grants a review, it shall reconsider the prior decision at its next meeting, or a specially scheduled meeting.
• Upon reconsideration by the SAFC, It may either (a) affirm the original decision; or (b) award more than the original allocation.
• If review is denied or the requestor is not satisfied with the decision of the Committee upon reconsideration, the requestor may further appeal that decision to the President of the College.
• The President may either affirm or reverse the decision of the Committee. Such a decision must be based upon the criteria in this procedure. The President's decision shall be communicated to the requestor within five academic days of the decision. The decision of the President is final.

General Timeline

• Committee members selected/elected by the end of Spring Term to serve during the subsequent academic year
• Initial annual convening by October 30
• Annual reports due December 15 of each year
• Recommendation to the College President by the end of the first week of the spring term of each year
• College President's recommendation to the Board of Education by May meeting of each year
• Recommendation announced at the May Board of Education meeting
• Recommendation acted upon by the June Board of Education meeting