On April 16, students will vote whether or not to keep the current system of funding Massachusetts Student Public Interest Research Group (MASSPIRG). In the past 30 years since an Amherst MASSPIRG chapter was created, students have voted in favor of keeping the current system every two years.

Students pay one percent of their tuition to the Student Activities Fee, which the Association of Amherst Students (AAS) controls and allots to student organizations who request funding. In addition to that fee, students are charged an additional $9 fee which is earmarked specifically for MASSPIRG.

This year’s vote is more controversial than in years past, as MASSPIRG has not collected these funds for several years, adding to many students’ doubts in the current system.

A crucial part of the current system is that students can opt-out of the fee should they not want to support MASSPIRG. Some Senators have proposed an alternative solution in which students would opt-in to pay the fee should they wish to. In a survey last week, the AAS asked students whether they would prefer an opt-in or opt-out system. Two hundred fifty-seven students voted for an opt-in system, while 121 would prefer an opt-out system.