The ASUO Executive gave its official support Wednesday night to decrease the growth cap for the incidental fee from 7 percent to 3.5 percent.
“The incidental fee does tremendous things for students here on campus,” ASUO President Sam Dotters-Katz wrote in the memo regarding the recommendation. “However, unsustainable and constant 7 percent growth year after year has grown our budget and fee into one of the largest in the country.”
The incidental fee is the fee that students pay that help fund student groups and programs. According to a bill passed earlier this year by the Oregon Legislative, all University of Oregon fees have been capped at 5 percent. Along with this legislation, the UO administration has recommended to bring all institutional fees, including the Incidental Fee, down to 3.5 percent.
“The ASUO Executive would like to give the ASUO Senate and ASUO Finance Committees the most complete and accurate information involving the ASUO budget process,” Dotters-Katz wrote. “Therefore, it is important that we are direct with our intention to veto any final budget recommendation that exceeds 3.5 percent.”
According to the memo, this isn’t the executive’s final decision, but it is the current plan on moving forward for the 2014-2015 school year.
In the memo it mentions that along with being under-realized several hundred-thousand dollars, decreasing the growth to 3.5 percent will make this year’s budgeting process difficult, and will further reduce growth for student programs. However, the executive said that not every expenditure in the Incidental Fee is vital and that they have work carefully to craft a budget recommendation that realizes the upcoming financial struggles.
The next step in the process will be the senate discussing the 3.5 percent growth cap in its meeting tonight. The discussion will look to find common ground for all the senators so that they can give their recommendation on the cap.
“Hard choices are going to have to be made, and our final budget will include some suffering for groups and organizations that only seek to grow and better serve students. We did not make this decision with ignorance of these concerns and frustrations,” Dotters-Katz wrote. “However, we believe that leaders must to step up in difficult times and make the difficult and occasionally unpopular choices based on the options they have.”
During Wednesday’s night senate meeting, the body will be discussing their thoughts on the cap.