A budgeting breakdown

Buried within the “enrollment fees” on every Portland State student’s bills each quarter is $216 (for a 12-credit student) in “incidental fees,” which might sound like something Ticketmaster tacks on right before checkout just because they can.

But in reality, this fee helps pay for extracurricular student activities as diverse as athletics, the Food For Thought Cafe and La Casa Latina, among many others.

Managing this money, which amounted to $14.6 million last fiscal year, are the eight student-elected members of the student fee committee.

“[The SFC] is the funding body that works to support extracurricular activities, as opposed to all the other boring stuff we’re supposed to do,” SFC Vice Chair Katie Slayden said, laughing.

Money from this fee also helps do things like make the Smith Memorial Student Union function, bring guest speakers to campus and fund the Queer Resource Center.

“A lot of students don’t even know they pay a fee for these things,” Slayden said. “Most think tuition pays for it.”

To an outsider, the funding process of the SFC can seem “weird and complicated,” Slayden said.

But at its core, the process can be broken down into a few steps that take place over a period of two-and-a-half to three months.

First, a fee-funded group submits three budgets: one for the current level of funding, one for “bare-bones” funding and one enhanced, or “dream,” budget, said SFC member Sean Green.

After deliberations (and an appeals process, if the group requests it) the SFC decides on a final budget, which is then sent to the Associated Students of Portland State University senate, who can either approve, deny or recommend changes. In a best-case scenario, the senate either recommends changes or approves the budget, Slayden said. The senate can also approve the budget with a list of recommended changes. Finally, the budget goes to the university president for final approval.

“All the SFC can do is recommend [the budget],” said SFC Chair Nick Rowe, though he added that the SFC’s recommendations are almost always accepted.

When it comes to deciding whether a group’s budget will increase, decrease or stay the same, Slayden said that while the process is unique to every group, one part of the approach examines the kind of impact the group is having on students.

“We look at the amount of growth in the program in the last one, five, 10 years: If your budget’s increased by 10 percent, have your services increased by 10 percent?” Slayden said.

Rowe said the overarching goal this year is to keep from increasing the $216 fee (students taking less than 12 credits pay less, on a pro-rated scale). “As we try to keep the fee flat, we’re still approving budgets in a way that isn’t harsh and deep, and allows room to grow,” he said.

One difficulty the SFC is facing is a projected decline in enrollment, which will correspondingly decrease the amount collected in incidental fees. According to numbers provided by PSU Budget Analyst Andria Johnson, $200,000 less is projected to be collected this fiscal year than last.

Because of the projected slip in funds, student groups may be feeling pinched.

“It’s harder to get an enhanced budget,” Green said. “Most groups are not getting the amount of money they’re asking for.”

Slayden said that while she feels that the work the SFC does is mostly invisible to the students on campus, it’s extremely visible to groups like the Women’s Resource Center or the newly created Veterans’ Resource Center—groups that may otherwise be marginalized. “It’s worth it when groups who need it get the help they need.”