SF State Procedures to Implement CSU Executive Order 1102

Guidelines for the Student Fee Advisory Committee and the Instructionally Related Activities (IRA) Advisory Board

Summary of Changes 

The following summarizes updates/changes to the Procedures to Implement CSU Executive Order 1102: 

Student Fee Policy – Guidelines and Procedures for the Student Fee Advisory Committee as of Spring 2023. 

  • Format update Fall 2020 – format updates to the document include: Table of Contents; order and grouping of information; minor grammatical updates – no policy or procedural changes made with this update 
  • January 2021 – all references to “Chair” of the SFAC updated to “Co-Chair” by consensus of the SFAC at its meeting on November 13, 2020 
  • Membership – updated Fall 2020 to include the appointment of a Staff Representative 
  • Quorum and Decision Making – updated to reference the CSU Viewpoint Neutrality policy 
  • Instructionally Related Activities (IRA) Fees – updated to include terms of appointment for members appointed to the IRA Advisory Board 
  • Annual timeline for activities of the IRA Advisory Board – deadline for submission of IRA Budget Request Proposals moved to January 15th or the next business day. 
  • April 2023 – Associated Students Committee membership updated to permit any student member of the Associated Students Board of Directors to serve on the SFAC.

Student Fee Advisory Committee and Instructionally Related Activities Fee Advisory Board 

Statement of Purpose 

The Student Fee Advisory Committee (SFAC) at San Francisco State University shall consider proposals for the establishment and adjustment of Category II, III and IV fees, and shall make recommendations to the president in accordance with the CSU Student Fee Policy and authority delegated by the campus president. The Instructionally Related Activities (IRA) Advisory Board is commissioned by the SFAC to specifically review requests for the use of IRA fee revenue, and to make recommendations on the level of the fee, and fee allocations for consideration by the President. 

Administrative units and academic departments requesting approval for a new fee or for allocation of student fees are expected to honor the shared governance process guiding these decisions. As such, no submission or application shall be regarded as an entitlement, and units/departments making such requests should expect that applications or submittals may potentially be denied, returned for further clarification and revision, or otherwise delayed. Therefore, units and departments should not rely on potential fee revenue until they have received formal notification of final approval by the President’s Office.

Statement of Philosophy 

A fundamental responsibility of the state government is to provide access and financial support to public higher education. The amount of funding the California State University is allocated directly affects how many students will be able to access the CSU system. To ensure the maximum level of access to public higher education, it is imperative that the state continually renews and reinforces CSU funding through legislation. 

Whenever students enroll into the CSU system and throughout their educational career, tuition fees, local campus fees and miscellaneous fees are assessed. Fee revenue facilitates our ability to offer programs and services that elevate the student experience and help our university further its mission. 

In fulfilling its role to provide advisement concerning student fees, the Student Fee Advisory Committee is committed to engaging in respectful discussions and seeking consultation to remain: 

  • mindful of the cumulative affect student fees have on the student experience; 
  • considerate of how student fees affect student financial aid options and; 
  • ensuring student fees do not represent a barrier to accessing education.

Policy Authority

Section IV of CSU Executive Order 1102 – Student Fee Policy - stipulates the following: 

  1. The president shall establish a Campus Fee Advisory Committee comprised of student, faculty, staff, and administrative representatives to provide advice to the president. 
    Membership of the Campus Fee Advisory Committee shall be established in consultation with the campus student body association and the campus faculty senate and shall include the president of the campus student body association and the chair of the campus faculty senate or their designees. The president shall appoint the chair of the Campus Fee Advisory Committee. 
  2. The president shall appoint members to the Campus Fee Advisory Committee, excluding the student representatives who shall be appointed by the campus student body association. Faculty members shall be appointed consistent with normal campus processes for selecting faculty members to serve on similar committees. 
  3. Students appointed by the campus student body association shall constitute a majority of the voting members of the Campus Fee AdvisoryCommittee. 

In recognition of SF State’s organizational structures and naming conventions, the Campus Fee Advisory Committee is hereafter referred to as the “Student Fee Advisory Committee” and the faculty senate is hereafter referred to as the “Academic Senate.”

Membership 

At SF State the Student Fee Advisory Committee is comprised of 12 members: seven student representatives and five administrative representatives. The following administrative members are appointed by the campus president: 

  • Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management, who is also the Co-chair; 
  • Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs or designee; 
  • The Vice President for Administration and Finance or designee
  • The Chair of the Academic Senate or designee and; 
  • A non-management, non-faculty, Staff Representative appointed in consultation with the Staff of San Francisco State University. 

The President of Associated Students (AS) at SF State co-chairs the Student Fee Advisory Committee with the Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management. The AS President shall appoint six additional student members of the Associated Students Board of Directors. Students must constitute a majority of the Committee. To be in keeping with the academic year calendar, terms of appointment are from August 1st through July 31st of each year. 

Administrative Staffing 

The Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management is responsible to provide administrative staffing for the Committee who shall assist with preparing and disseminating agendas, generating notes and applicable communications regarding Committee discussions and decisions, and maintaining all relevant records of the Committee’s business. 

Committee Meetings

The Committee shall meet at least four times each academic year during the regular Fall and Spring semesters to ensure that matters relevant to the purview of this Committee are handled in a timely manner. Additional meetings may be called, including during the summer, to handle Committee business. Virtual meetings may be called at the discretion of the co-chairs and are P a g e 5 | 4 subject to the Virtual Meeting Guidelines established by the committee. Good faith effort shall be made to schedule meetings that accommodate the availability of members, and consultation between the Co-Chairs shall take place prior to confirmation of a meeting date and time. 

In the event that any of the Associated Student members are unable to attend a meeting, the Corporate Secretary and/or Chief Justice are approved designees. If neither of them are available, other members of the Associated Students Board of Directors may be designated, if done so in writing at least 48 business hours prior to the meeting. 

Agendas 

The Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management is responsible for preparing the agenda and distributing it along with supporting materials to committee members at least 72 business hours prior to each scheduled meeting. Any member of the committee may submit a request for an agenda item as long as one other member of the committee endorses the inclusion. The Co-Chairs shall consult on preparing each agenda before it is disseminated.

Quorum and Decision-Making 

Voting outcomes of the Committee are advisory in nature and intended to guide the President in final decision-making in matters under their delegated authority. As such, recommendations are forwarded to the SF State President following a simple majority vote or consensus of the membership. The Co-chairs of the SFAC do not vote. Quorum is required to validate actions/decisions of the committee. 

Quorum is defined as the presence of the Co-chairs along with at least five voting members, with a majority of these members present comprised of students. Whenever the vote on any given action item is not unanimous or endorsed by consensus, a record of the vote (i.e., yay, nays and abstentions) shall be recorded with the decision. All recommendations and decisions are to be reached in compliance with the CSU viewpoint neutrality policy. 

The Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management is responsible for forwarding recommendations of the Committee to the President of SF State in writing for final action as appropriate within 15 business days of the SFAC reaching a decision. The President shall respond no later than 15 business days after receiving a written recommendation from the SFAC. 

Committee Deadlines

Units/departments submitting fee proposals are asked to submit them as early as possible to maximize the amount of time that SFAC members can devote to adequate consultation and thorough consideration of each request. To ensure there is adequate opportunity to notify impacted students in a timely manner, and allow for effective administrative implementation, SFAC has established the following deadlines for submission of Fee Action Requests: 

  • Fees intended to go into effect for any given Fall semester should be submitted no later than February 1st prior. 
  • Fees intended to go into effect for any given Spring semester should be submitted no later than September 1st prior. 
  • Fees intended to go into effective for any given Summer term should be submitted no later than November 1st prior.

Instructionally Related Activities (IRA) Fees 

Established by CSU Executive Order 429 as a mandatory (Category II) fee, Instructionally Related Activities Fees fall under the purview of the Student Fee Advisory Committee. Per CSU Executive Order 429, the IRA Advisory Board shall be comprised of an equal number of students and faculty/administrators combined. The Board will consist of: 

  • the AS President (Chair of the IRA Advisory Board); 
  • three additional AS representatives (one-year terms); 
  • two appointed members from the Academic Senate (two-year terms); • two appointed members from the Provost’s Office (two-year terms) and; 
  • a SFAC (non-voting) representative for administrative support (two-year term). 

Representatives and appointees may be reappointed to multiple terms. The appointed IRA Advisory Board will meet during the Fall and Spring terms of the academic year for submitted recommendations to go into effect the following academic year. 

Recommendations made by the IRA Advisory Board will be forwarded to the SFAC. The SFAC shall either endorse these recommendations, deny the recommendations, or remand them to the IRA Advisory Board for further clarification or consideration. This should be done in whole or in part. If the recommendation is endorsed, it will be forwarded to the President for action. 

Annual timeline for activities of the IRA Advisory Board: 

  • IRA Advisory Board members will be appointed in early Fall – no later than September 15th (or the following business day). 
    A written call for submissions requesting allocation of IRA fees for the subsequent academic year will be sent to all college Deans by October 1st (or the following business day). 
  • Completed submissions will be due by January 15th (or the following business day). 
  • The IRA Advisory Board will meet, as needed, such that recommendations will be submitted to SFAC by March 15th (or the following business day). 
  • Appeals shall be completed and final notifications sent to colleges by May 15th (or the following business day).

Table of Authorities 

Following are the California Education Code section and CSU Executive Orders that are pertinent to the establishment and administration of student fees at San Francisco State University.