General Fees FAQ

What is the Student Services fee?

Your student fee is a monetary amount decided upon by fellow University students that funds student service-oriented departments and student organizations. Each year, student groups and administrative units make a formal request for funds to the Student Services Fees Committee. The Committee then determines the fee that students will pay for the following year. The Fees process was instituted by the Board of Regents and states:

"This policy governs assessment of the University of Minnesota (University) student services fee, which funds non-instructional programs and activities; supplements the academic curriculum; and is an integral part of the University's educational experience.

What guides the Student Services Fee process?

The Board of Regents also implemented the following guiding principles for the assessment of student services fees:

• Fee-supported programs, activities, and services shall be available to all students assessed the fee
• All persons involved in the development of the student services fee shall recognize the relationship of the student services fee to the total tuition and other costs of education for students
• The University's educational mission is well served when students have the means to engage in dynamic discussions of diverse topics in their extracurricular campus life
• Decisions regarding the allocation of fees among student groups shall be made in a viewpoint-neutral manner.

Expectations of Members of the Student Services Fee Committee as stated by the Board of Regents:

• Representation-The student services fee committee shall have at least a student majority, and all members of the committee shall have the right to vote. The student, faculty, and administrative staff members shall be appointed under committee procedures in effect on each campus.
• Validation of Fee Payment-Student members of the student services fee committee shall demonstrate payment of the student services fee each semester throughout their terms. Summer session payment is not required.
• Administrative Assistance-Each student services fee committee shall receive administrative assistance from the respective campus administrations and student associations.

How is the Student Group Fees Committee Structured?

There are two committees, one that reviews all Student Group fees applications and the other reviews all Administrative Unit fees requests.

Administrative Unit Fees Committee is comprised of five voting members and four ranked alternates. The full committee reviews all applications, hears all presentations and makes funding recommendations.

Student Group Fees Committee is comprised of nine voting members and four unranked alternates. The nine voting members are divided into two sub committees distributing four and five voting members and two alternates on each sub-committee. The student group fees presentations are divided between the two sub-committees, however the entire committee will be given your application and have the opportunity to review it. Following the presentations, the sub-committees will come together as the larger committee to discuss each group's request individually and make initial funding recommendations.

What's the annual timeline for Student Services Fees?

Generally speaking, the following timeline applies to both administrative and student group fees applications. The Student Services Fees Web site has the most up-to-date schedule for the given year.

Late September-Early October	Recruitment for Student Services Fees Committee Members
Mid-October	Student Services Fees Applicants Confirmed by Minnesota Student Association (MSA) and Graduate and Professional Student Assembly (GAPSA)
Early November	Fees Applications Available
Late January	Applications Due
Early-Mid February	Presentations
Mid February	Initial Deliberations
Late February	Initial Recommendations Published on Fees Web site
Early March	Public Hearings
Late March	Final Committee Deliberations
Early-Mid April	Final Recommendations Published
Late April	Fee Approved by Vice Provost for Student Affairs

Can all University departments and student organizations apply for Student Services Fees?

Groups applying for fees must be currently registered with Student Unions & Activities. Additional criteria for Student Service Fees include:

• Must be a university department and/or a student group that is currently registered with the Student Unions & Activities, at least one year prior to applying.
• Groups must be not for profit organizations.
• Partisan political organizations are not eligible for student services fees. "Partisan political organizations" are organizations affiliated with a registered political party or which are formed for the purpose of supporting a political party.
• Organization must have students participating in deciding how fee money is spent, and involved in the development of policies and budgets for any proposal that comes before the Student Services Fees Committee.
• Groups receiving funds from the student services fees shall demonstrate expenditures in general compliance with their submitted budgets.
• All budgets and all financial records for all groups currently receiving funds from student services fees shall be available for student inspection.
• All groups currently receiving funds from student services fees must be audited by the designated independent auditing firm contracted to perform audits of fee receiving organizations. Copies of audits will be attached to the standardized request form submitted to the Student Services Fees Committee. All financial records must be submitted in a timely manner.
• Demonstrated procedures must be in place to ensure accountability (programmatic, service, financial, constituency) including responses to recommendations from the management audits.
• Membership of the organization and access to programs and services must comply with the University of Minnesota's Equal Opportunity Statement.
• All groups applying for student services fees must complete the standardized request form.
• All fee-receiving groups must adhere to accounting procedures approved by the Student Services Fees Consultant and the Office for Student Affairs
• All groups applying for student fees must comply with all deadlines established by the Student Services Fees Committee. Requests for exceptions must be submitted in writing and received at least two weeks prior to the deadline for submission. Exceptions require approval of the Student Services Fees Advisor and the chair of the Senate Committee on Student Affairs Fees Subcommittee.

What's included in the Student Services Fee Application?

This year the application can be considered in 3 parts:

Part 1 – Fees Handbook

Part 2 - Application, in Microsoft Word format

The application functions as both a detailed request for funding and an annual report that shows the group's current structure as well as recent efforts and activities. Groups are also asked to share how a decrease of funding would impact their organization.

Part 3 – Budget Sheets, in Microsoft Excel format

How is the process different for Administrative Units?

Administrative Units are on a bi-annual application process. As such, their applications are for two fiscal years at a time. They will submit their application by the deadline and present to the committee.

What recourse does a student group have if they don't like the Fees Committee's recommendations?

If an Administrative Unit or student group disagrees with the Fees Committee's findings or recommendations, they have two days following the published date of the final recommendations to make a formal appeal to the Vice Provost for Student Affairs.