The Regents have authority to impose fees for any University purpose. All campus-based student fees at a campus must be approved by the Chancellor of that campus, except that no compulsory campus-based fees shall be effective until also approved either by The Regents or by the President under the President's delegated authority, as appropriate.
Compulsory campus-based student fees are fees levied at individual campuses that must be paid by all registered students to whom the fee applies. Such fees may be used to fund: (1) student-related services and programs, including, but not limited to, referenda-based student health insurance programs; (2) construction and renovation of student buildings and other facilities such as student centers and recreation facilities; and (3) authorized student governments (as defined in Section 61.00 of the Policy on Student Governments), Registered Campus Organizations, and student government- and Registered Campus Organization-related programs, events, and other activities.
This Policy does not apply to Universitywide fees, to non-referendum-based
campus health insurance fees that may be assessed to meet a non-academic condition
of enrollment established by either The Regents or the President, to fees related
to instruction, or to campus-based miscellaneous fees that require either the
Chancellor's or the President's approval.
Effective from the date of final issuance of this Policy as revised on April 14, 2006, any compulsory campus-based student fee approved as either a new fee or an increase to an existing fee shall provide for fee revenue for local need-based financial aid ("return-to-aid") to be set aside in an amount equal to at least 25% of the total new fee or fee increase as appropriate. The return-to-aid generated by undergraduate students shall be reserved for undergraduate student financial support and the return-to-aid generated by graduate and professional students shall be reserved for graduate and professional student financial support.
Campuses also are strongly encouraged to seek future student approval, through
the referendum process, of either separate new fees or increases to existing
fees that would provide financial aid to cover the need associated with all
existing compulsory campus-based student fees that do not already include return-to-aid
as of the date of final issuance of this Policy as revised on April 14,
2006, and that are thus exempt from the new return-to-aid requirement.
Any campus-based fee (whether referendum-based or non-referendum-based) that
is charged to a student as a premium to purchase health insurance for that student
shall be exempt from any return-to-aid requirement. This exemption shall not
extend to campus-based fees that have been approved by students through the
referendum process for the purpose of providing direct support to campus student
health centers.
Compulsory campus-based student fees may only be established, increased, or renewed following a referendum in which students vote in favor of the compulsory fees, except as provided in Section 83.00 of these Policies.
When the Chancellor determines that a new fee, or an increase to or renewal of an existing fee, is necessary for the health and safety of students, and when that fee or fee increase or renewal is specifically related to the maintenance of the safety of a building or other facility that is funded, wholly or in significant part (as determined by the Chancellor with the concurrence of the Office of the President) by student fees. Safety issues are those that are potentially dangerous consistent with the standards set forth in the University Policy on Seismic Safety and the University Policy on Management of Health, Safety, and the Environment, as determined by the Chancellor with the concurrence of the Office of the President, such as those that relate to the risk of fire, the presence of asbestos, or the existence of seismic or other structural deficits.
Any new fee, or any increase to or renewal of an existing fee, established under
the provisions of this Section shall be retired once the fee's stated purpose
is fulfilled. Upon the recommendation of the President, the Chancellor may petition
The Regents for continuation of any such new fee, fee increase, or fee renewal
in advance of its retirement.
For buildings or other facilities with multiple uses, whenever possible the
costs to students for funding safety-related or health-related maintenance should
be based on the proportion of current non-academic student use of the building
or other facility; or
When a new fee, or an increase to or renewal of an existing fee, is necessary to meet legal requirements (such as new code requirements) or contractual obligations (such as income projections) specified in the funding covenants of a building or other facility that is funded wholly or in significant part by student fees. For buildings or other facilities with multiple uses, whenever possible the costs to students for such increases should be based on the proportion of current non-academic student use of the building or other facility.
(a) a Chancellor may, in exceptional circumstances and on a case-by-case basis, petition the President in advance of a particular student election for approval of a lower minimum voting pool requirement for that election;
(b) for any ballot measure in support of a non-capital-project-related campus
program, where voter eligibility is limited to graduate and/or professional
students, a Chancellor may set the minimum voting pool, for that ballot measure
only, at a lower level (based on historical graduate and professional student
voter turnout rates for the campus), without petitioning the President in advance
for approval;
A requirement for at least majority-vote approval by students voting on a particular ballot measure, for that ballot measure to be successful;
A requirement that the actual language of any ballot measure in a student election that is intended to fund either construction of a new building or other facility, or major renovation of an existing building or other facility, explicitly state:
1) whether the fee will be continued following retirement of the original debt on the new construction or major renovation, and
2) if the fee is to be continued, the purpose or purposes for which the fee
will be used, as well as the mechanism that will be used to determine the level
at which the fee will be set, following retirement of the original debt (please
note that, as a general principle, campuses are encouraged to continue such
fees at an appropriately adjusted level following retirement of the original
debt, to provide for the actual costs associated with long-term building or
other facility maintenance needs); and
Notwithstanding this requirement, a campus may assess students a pro rata percentage of any such fee in advance of completion of the new or renovated building or other facility for the purpose of supporting the design and planning costs, project mitigations, and financing costs associated with construction or renovation of the building or other facility, provided that both the purpose and level of this assessment are approved by students as part of the original ballot measure for the new or renovated building or other facility.
All student referendum results are advisory to the Chancellor and, conditional on the Chancellor's recommendation, are subject to final approval by the President under the authority delegated to the President by The Regents.
Chancellors shall establish in campus regulations procedures for reducing or eliminating a compulsory campus-based student fee.
Compulsory campus-based student fees allocated to student government may be reallocated to support Registered Campus Organizations and Registered Campus Organization-related programs and activities consistent with the University's educational purposes in providing such support, as set forth in Section 86.20 of these Policies. The process for making such reallocations must be based solely on viewpoint-neutral criteria, as set forth in Section 86.30 of these Policies.
A Registered Campus Organization that is preponderantly or exclusively funded by a student government or other campus entity from compulsory campus-based student fees shall primarily have University of California students as its members. Particular programs and activities of a Registered Campus Organization funded from compulsory campus-based student fees shall be open to participation by the entire campus community. In addition, all expenditures relating to particular programs and activities of a Registered Campus Organization (whether the program or activity takes place on- or off-campus) that are funded from such fees must be under the direct control of University of California students. (See also Section 70.20 of these Policies.) [NOTE: This Section will be revised to conform to Section 70.20 of the revised Policy on Registered Campus Organizations (Section 70 of the Policies Applying to Campus Activities, Organizations and Students) at the time of issuance of that revised Policy to campuses (anticipated for late April 2006).]
The referendum process set forth in Section 82.00 of these Policies shall not be accessible to a Registered Campus Organization or any student group other than a student government. The foregoing is not intended to preclude access to the referendum process by any administrative unit of the University, subject to appropriate student consultation. Support for a Registered Campus Organization or any student group other than a student government from compulsory campus-based student fees must be in the form of a reallocation from student government or other appropriate campus entity to the Registered Campus Organization or other student group. All such reallocations must be made consistent with the requirements for viewpoint-neutral funding set forth in Section 86.20 and 86.30 of these Policies. (See also Section 70.81 of these Policies.)
A student government in consultation with the campus, or a campus with the concurrence of the student government, may at its discretion establish and administer a mechanism providing for a pro rata refund to any student of that portion of his or her student government fees that are allocated by a student government or other campus entity to support a particular Registered Campus Organization or Registered Campus Organization-related program or activity. Establishment of such a refund mechanism is not required either as a matter of University policy or the law. (See also Section 70.83 of these Policies.)
The University's educational purposes are served when reallocations by a student government or other campus entity of compulsory campus-based student fees to support Registered Campus Organizations and Registered Campus Organization-related programs and activities are made: (1) to provide opportunities for the educational benefits and personal and social enrichment that derive from participation in extracurricular programs and activities; and (2) to stimulate on-campus discussion and debate on a wide range of issues from a variety of viewpoints.
Consistent with the above purposes, such reallocations shall only be made to
support either the general organizational expenses of Registered Campus Organizations
and Registered Campus Organization-related programs and activities or their
associated communicative purposes.
In addition, allocation decisions to provide such support must be made without
regard to the viewpoint of a particular Registered Campus Organization or Registered
Campus Organization-related program or activity, and must be balanced in relation
to the support provided to other Registered Campus Organizations or Registered
Campus Organization-related programs and activities in similar circumstances.
Criteria appropriate to be given balanced consideration in the making of viewpoint-neutral reallocation decisions might include, but are not limited to: the objectively documented organizational needs of the Registered Campus Organization based on membership size; its office or equipment requirements; the extent of financial support the Registered Campus Organization receives from other sources; or the production costs associated with a particular event or series of events the Registered Campus Organization typically sponsors. Such sponsored events supported in whole or in part by compulsory campus-based student fees need not avoid controversial political, religious, or ideological content, subject to the understanding that under current University policy (see Section 30.20 of the Policy on Speech and Advocacy) campuses have a responsibility to assure an ongoing opportunity for the expression of a variety of viewpoints.
Campus procedures and criteria shall provide: (a) that student governments or other campus entities responsible for reallocating compulsory campus-based student fees must publicize widely and regularly to Registered Campus Organizations the availability of such funds to support Registered Campus Organizations on a viewpoint-neutral basis, as well as the viewpoint-neutral criteria on the basis of which such funds will be reallocated; and (b) that communications to Registered Campus Organizations on the availability of such funds must be made in a timely fashion, and be reiterated periodically during the year as long as such funds remain available, to ensure sufficient time for the preparation of funding proposals in advance of funding decisions.
Compulsory campus-based student fees may be reallocated to pay for speakers sponsored by Registered Campus Organizations. Over time, such events should stimulate on-campus discussion and debate from a wide range of viewpoints on a variety of issues.
Campus procedures and criteria for reallocation of compulsory campus-based student fees to support Registered Campus Organizations and Registered Campus Organization-related programs and activities on a viewpoint-neutral basis must be reviewed by the Office of the General Counsel to ensure that the procedures and criteria are consistent with the law and these Policies. In addition, campuses are advised to consult with the Office of the General Counsel should a question arise about whether a particular reallocation is viewpoint-neutral in nature and meets the University's educational purposes as specified in Section 86.20 of these Policies.
Compulsory campus-based student fees may be expended by a student government, Registered Campus Organization, or other campus entity to cover the expenses of direct participation by University students in a particular non-University-sponsored educational program or activity. Such fees may also be expended in payment of applicable dues necessary to sustain membership by a student government or Registered Campus Organization in national and other regional non-University associations at the basic level established by such associations, so long as the level of any such assessment is in line with what is assessed similar student organizations at other institutions comparable in size and nature to the University as a requirement of basic membership. Except as provided immediately below, memberships at a preferential level that require the payment of higher periodic dues than what is required to sustain basic membership, or the assessment by such non-University associations of supplemental contributions from their members as an expectation but not a requirement of continued membership, may not be supported from compulsory campus-based student fees.
Other than for considerations of basic membership as set forth above, additional
transfers of funds from compulsory campus-based fees by a student government,
Registered Campus Organization, or other campus entity to such non-University
associations may be made only when they can be justified, in advance of the
transfer, to the Chancellor (or other campus official designated by the Chancellor
with administrative oversight over the student government, Registered Campus
Organization, or other campus entity) as providing a direct educational benefit
to University of California students commensurate with the proposed expenditure.
Compulsory campus-based student fees may not otherwise be expended by a student
government, Registered Campus Organization, or other campus entity in support
of, or be otherwise transferred to, a non-University organization, program,
or activity, except in payment for goods and services directly necessary to
the operation of that student government, Registered Campus Organization, or
other campus entity, its programs or activities.
The referendum process set forth in Section 82.00 of these
Policies shall not be available either to establish a new compulsory
campus-based student fee, or to lock in an increase to an existing such fee,
for the purpose of supporting any non-University organization, program, or activity.
(See also Sections 67.10 and 70.90
of these Policies.)
Back to the Table of Contents