Summer activities fee banked

Student leaders only have a few months left to grab their share from the summer student… Student leaders only have a few months left to grab their share from the summer student activities fund.

While students enrolled in summer classes pay an additional activities fee, there has been little activity among student groups on campus so far this summer.

Narissa Handler, vice chairperson of the Student Government Board’s allocations committee, said that the committee puts the money collected from the summer activities fee into the same student activities fund that contains the student activities fees collected during the fall and spring semesters.

The allocations committee has only received two funding requests from student groups this summer, said Handler.

Since the end of final exams April 26, Handler said the allocations committee has only received requests from Hillel Jewish University Center and the men’s club lacrosse team.

While Hillel’s request was approved, the team was denied its request for $2,861 to attend the Central Collegiate Lacrosse Association playoffs in Michigan.

Handler said that SGB denied the request because of a resolution adopted last fall, which blocked requests of more than $2,000 to club teams for supplemental competitions.

Last year’s allocations committee scrutinized the resolution because it states that SGB is allowed to ignore the budget ceiling “if deemed necessary.”

Hillel received $180 for a conference in Baltimore, Md., on Reform Zionism in North America called the Youth Adult Track at the 2008 Association of Reform Zionists of America National Assembly.

Handler said there is also a conference cap in place for groups such as Hillel, whose members often attend conferences rather than tournaments.

These caps do not, however, apply to groups affiliated with student affairs. The student affairs-affiliated groups on campus are the Asian Student Alliance, Black Action Society, Engineering Student Alliance, Interfraternity Council, Panhellenic Association, Nursing Student Council, the National Panhellenic Council and Resident Student Association.

When the summer sessions end on Aug. 2, the money students have spent on the additional student activities fee included in their summer tuition will roll into next year’s budget, said Handler.

The allocations committee is in charge of money gathered from the student activities fee, creating budgets for student groups and granting them supplemental requests for $500 or less. SGB votes on requests for more than $500.

The student activities fees gathered during fall, spring and summer usually amount to about $2.3 million for the year.

Students taking 12 or more credits during summer sessions pay $14 for the undergraduate activities fee, and students taking less than 12 credits pay $7, said Terrence Milani, a Student Life administrator.

In the past academic year, the student activities fee was $80 per semester for full-time students and $24 a semester for part-time students.

During the summer, that fee is reduced because there are fewer activities and students to partake in them.

While the full enrollment of students this summer is yet to be determined, last summer 4,983 students took summer classes, said Alyssa Slazinski, an information specialist from Pitt’s Department of Institutional Research. Of these, 843 students were enrolled full time, and 4,140 were enrolled part time.

This means that the undergraduate activities fee will raise $40,782 if this summer’s enrollments match last year’s.

But if supplemental requests remain infrequent, most of this money will roll into next year’s budget.

Handler said most groups spend the summer planning for the fall semester rather than hosting activities.

“They’re not going to have a program in the summer when students aren’t around,” said Handler.

Handler said she does not see a problem in the fact that students still pay an activities fee in the summer.

“That money is available in the summer. That way if things come up, [student groups] can request for them,” said Handler.

Former allocations committee member Rhajiv Ratnatunga agreed.

“It’s one of those standard fees you just have to pay. It’s a pretty small fee