An increase in the student activities fee would have the effect of raising the comprehensive fee rather than allocating more of the same comprehensive fee to student activities. The student activity fee for 2001-2002 was one percent of $33,860, approximately $340. If the fee were increased to 1.5 percent of the comprehensive fee, it would come to about $423.
"Because I'm sure the college will raise tuition next year, it will probably be an additional $45 a semester," said College Council member Eric Osborne '04. "Financial aid packages will adjust, so it won't affect financial aid students."
According to Osborne, the resolution presently being discussed is a comprehensive proposal to fix budgetary problems such as the removal of funds for PVTA buses, increasing the student activities fee and making clubs that are not fulfilling their role decrease their funding.
"To be honest, I'm not sure what the right percentage [raise] is," said College Council member Mike Flood '03. "Right now, the SFC is in the tough position of having to tell clubs who want to put on great events no, simply because they don't have the money to spare. This will hopefully allow the SFC to be a little more generous in distributing funds."
"A 25 percent increase in the [student activities] fee is substantial, as for whether or not it's the right amount, I really can't say," said SFC Chairman Will Johnson '03.
"While the SFC is fully able to operate at its current level of funding, a raise in the student activities fee would enable us to focus on some long-term needs of the student groups on campus," he added.
Johnson said that the additional funding would allow for the purchasing of more vans for athletic teams and sound equipment for groups that bring in speakers and entertainment. In addition, it would provide increased funding to the Program Board and the Social Council.
Johnson said that he believes calling for a referendum on raising the student activities fee is beyond the constitutional powers of the CollegeCouncil. "The Council is not empowered to raise the portion of the fee that deals directly with SFC funds," he said. "The decision to call for an increase in those funds lies solely within the jurisdiction of the SFC."
Dean of Students Ben Lieber agreed that such a referendum was beyond the constitutional powers of the College Council.
"The problem is that none of us, myself included, knows how that provision made it into the constitution, since the practice, which long predates the constitution, is that the College Council has always approved increases in the student activities fee," he said.
"My sense is that the only fair solution at this point is for both the College Council and the SFC to vet any proposal for an increase at this point," added Lieber. "I know for certain that the last several increases in the fee were approved by the College Council before they went to a student referendum."
Arguably, the ski team would face the most dramatic consequences if the resolutions are passed by the College Council. There is disagreement between members of the ski team and members of the College Council over the membership policies of the team.
"We're going to recommend to the review and recognition board that, essentially, we don't want a ski team, we want a ski club, and there's a difference between the two," said Osborne. "A ski team isn't open to everybody, a ski club would be."
"I think that a ski club would serve a much larger percentage of the student body, and individuals who wanted to race would certainly still be able to be involved in races," said Flood. If the SFC will make additional recommendations, "we will be recommending that the SFC Review and Recognition board talk to the ski team and see what they think about reforming their group into a ski club that would be more open to more people on campus," said Flood.
Flood also said that he does not believe it is possible for skiing to become a varsity sport. "Our school has so stigmatized athletes that it would be politically unfeasible for the department to add new varsity sports to its already long list."
Osborne said he envisioned a ski club organized more along the lines of the Outing Club, as a group open to students of any experience level, which he says the ski team is not. "As a club sport, by definition, it is supposed to be open to everyone, so people who have never done it before can go out and do it," he said. "It's certainly something that's not friendly to novices at all."
Ski team President Jay Harris '02 denied this charge. "We are always quite clear that the ski team is open to skiers of all abilities and all racing backgrounds, or lack thereof," he said.
"Each year, the ski team holds an informational session, attempting to spark interest and attract new participants," said ski team Secretary A.J. Korytoski '04. "And each year, the team explicity states that all experience levels are welcome."
"The ski team does everything it can to include as much of the student body as possible," Harris added. "We always recruit in the fall, explicitly stating that no racing experience is necessary. ... Drylands are always open to anyone who wants to get in shape for skiing or stay in shape over the winter."
Korytoski '04 does not believe the creation of a ski club would solve any problems. "I do not understand how a ski club that caters to the entire school would be an effective alternative of the current program," he said. "If the College Council is attempting to decrease costs and increase participation, I am unconvinced that an all-inclusive recreation program would achieve these goals. It should not replace organized racing competition,"
Ski team member Amy Randall '04 agreed. "You can't have recreational skiers and racers in the same club. They are two completely opposite things," she said.
Reacting to charges that the ski team dues of $300 per student are financially prohibitive for some, Harris said, "Anyone who wants to ski and can't afford dues doesn't have to pay them. We have two people in that situation this year."
After discussing the expenses of the SFC, the College Council decided that the student activities fee should not pay for the PVTA. "All of us seemed to agree that it was ridiculous that the student activity fee was paying for the PVTA," said Osborne.
The SFC currently pays the College's dues for the PVTA, which amounted to about $15,500 this year.
According to Lieber, the College paid $101,000 this year for the PVTA, in addition to the $15,500 contributed by the SFC. Lieber explained that the administrations of the five colleges that use the PVTA used to pay the entire cost when its purpose was chiefly to transport students to classes at other colleges. When students requested longer operating hours to help facilitate their non-academic activities, the student governments began contributing money.
Some students do not believe it matters how the PVTA is financed. "Whether or not the PVTA charge comes out of the student activities fee or the General Fund doesn't really matter-Amherst students pay for it either way. However, the student activities fee covers clubs and events that are peer-approved," said Flood. "The PVTA charge is unlike anything else paid for by the student activities fee, so we would like to see it put somewhere else in the budget."
"The buses are used mainly for academic reasons, students going to classes and such. It seems rather ridiculous that something like that has to be paid for out of the student activities fee instead of by the administration," said Osborne.