By RAEGAN NEUFELD
Tiger Media Network
The Fort Hays Student Government Association serves students in various ways, including a number of funding services. Students both contribute to and benefit from these services.
Two such services are the annual Student Fee review and disbursement of Allocations. Both processes are currently ongoing for the 2024-25 fiscal year. SGA committees have met for both and are ready to move forward with their next steps.
Student Fee review
Every FHSU student pays a certain amount per credit hour to the Student Fee. That money is then distributed to campus entities that all students interact with on some level, whether once a month or every day. These entities include:
- Intramurals
- Athletic Bands
- Athletics
- Tiger Debs
- Student Government Association
- Tiger Media Network
- Civic Engagement
- Student Engagement
- Food and Hunger Initiative
- Parking
- Health and Wellness
- Educational Opportunity Fund
- Memorial Union
- Tiger Fitness Center
Some entities, like Intramurals and the Tiger Fitness Center, are funded completely by student fees, while others, like Athletics and the Memorial Union, have additional sources of funding.
“Student Government is tasked with annually going over the fees with the Legislative and Political Action Committee (LPAC),” SGA Legislative Affairs Director Austin Ruff said. “We interview representatives from each of the fees and they have to provide us with their budgets and a rationale of how they’re using their money wisely.”
SGA has a set amount of money they can distribute between all of the entities. Each group makes a request, either for an increase or no change, in the amount of money they receive per credit hour.
According to Ruff, in the last few years university administration has recommended that the set amount for the Student Fee not increase.
“Fort Hays, I believe, is the only institution who has not raised their fees since COVID,” he said.
That will most likely change in the coming years when the reserves of several entities are depleted, but two changes will help balance out students’ charges.
“The Kansas State Legislature paid off the fee that was used to build the Fischli Wills Center for Student Success,” Ruff said. “So that’s $4 per credit hour that students are no longer paying. Next year is the final year for the Memorial Union bond, which was used to pay off the renovations that were completed in 2007, so that’s an additional $6 per credit hour that will just go away.”
Ruff, LPAC and the entity representatives have met and resolutions for each fee – with the committee’s recommendation – will be read at the SGA meeting on Thursday. The second readings will take place on Feb. 15 and senators will vote on the resolutions.
“I know sometimes when you’re looking at your bill you’re like, ‘what the heck is all this stuff?’ But fees go towards a lot of positive things on this campus, so I think it’s important to acknowledge that side of it,” Ruff said. “I know tuition can be frustrating, but the fees part is very important.”
Allocations
Students also pay a certain amount per credit hour for the Student Activity Fee. Money from this fee goes towards the Allocations Budget and is distributed to student organizations on campus.
Last year, $894,000 was allocated to 56 different organizations. Typical uses for allocation money are trips, events and guest speakers.
“Any student organization that’s registered with Student Engagement can request funds,” SGA Treasurer Jackson Sinsel said. “It’s just an easy way for them to get funds, so they don’t have to fundraise all of it.”
Friday is the final deadline for organizations to apply for allocations for next year. Information on the application process can be found on the SGA webpage.
Since early December, Sinsel and a group of senators elected to this year’s Allocations Committee have held preliminary meetings and workshops for groups to attend.
“That’s just me showing a typical request,” Sinsel said. “I also show people how to get to the form. It’s kind of difficult to find if you don’t know where it is originally, so most of the time, it’s just answering questions on how to find it and how to fill out the form.”
According to Sinsel, the committee has – based on precedent from past years – set guidelines that help them decide how much to allocate to each group. For example, last year’s committee set a guideline that no organization can receive more than 15% of the budget.
The next step in the allocations process is the organization and committee hearings. From Feb. 19 to Feb. 22, organizations will present their budget and go over what their group does. The following week, on Feb. 29, a bill will be presented with recommendations for each organization at the SGA meeting. Its second reading will be on March 7, with representatives from each organization present, and senators will vote on the bill.
“There’s not a lot of groups out there that understand that this could be an option for them,” Sinsel said. “That’s why it’s really important to one, fill a form out or two, ask me if they should do it. I’d rather have more groups receiving funding than large groups get a lot of the funding.”
Tiger Media Network will continue to cover the fee review process and allocations as the legislation is introduced at SGA meetings.