The Associated Students Inc. Board of Control voted unanimously at last week’s meeting to pass a resolution that would increase the ASI fee by roughly 36 percent. Only four of the seven voting members were present at the meeting.
The resolution will be submitted as a recommendation to the Student Fee Advisory Committee for approval, and, if approval is granted, a referendum will be placed on the ballot in spring 2014, according to ASI President John Haberstroh.
Students currently pay $44 per semester in ASI fees. Under the proposed resolution, the fee would increase by $16 for a total of $60 per semester, according to ASI Treasurer Jose Espeleta.
Agatha Gucyski, College of Business Administration senator and ASI treasurer for 2012-13, said that the purpose of this resolution is to improve services for students – such as club grants, work grants or scholarships – and maintain the facilities that ASI is responsible for, like the Soroptimist House, the Isabel Patterson Child Development Center and the Recycling Center.
The last time ASI increased fees was in 2000. The total fee revenue available for allocation in 2012-13 ASI budget was $3.1 million. It is estimated the new fee increase will bring in an additional $1.2 million in funding to the ASI budget.