The term "services and activities fees" or “S&A fees” is defined to mean fees, other than tuition fees, charged to all students registering at a WSU campus. S&A fees fund student activities and programs at WSU. The fee is used to support non-academic student activities, programs, and projects. This fee enriches the student experience through funding for student government, entertainment, student organizations, speakers, facilities, and recreation (Chapter 28B.15.041 Revised Code of Washington (RCW).
S&A fees are charged to all full-time and part-time students registering at a physical campus or via Academic Outreach and Innovation (AOI) – Global Campus (Global). S&A Fees are charged based on registered credit hours. (RCW 28B.15.041)
S&A fee rates and allocations must be approved by the Board of Regents (the Board) prior to implementation.
The Board may approve rate increases not to exceed 4% annually. This restriction does not apply to that portion of the S&A fees previously committed to the repayment of bonded debt as authorized in RCW 28B.15.069. The Board may also approve rate decreases, as recommended by the S&A Fee Committee.
Rate-setting action by the Board may cover a single year or multiple years.
The S&A Fees Committees (described below) may recommend to the University President an S&A fees increase or decrease or the establishment of any new S&A fees. The President will convey the recommendation to the Board.
S&A Fees may vary by campus.
Each campus establishes its own committee and conducts its own S&A Fees process.
The Board may, based on committee recommendations, establish new S&A fees for dedicated purposes at a single campus or group of campuses. Each campus may set its own S&A Rate based on committee recommendations.
Each campus must submit its S&A Fees recommendations to the President through their Chancellor or Vice President to present to the Board for final approval.
Allocations set by law.
4.0% is deducted from tuition and S&A fees for deposit into an institutional student financial aid fund (RCW 28B.15.820). Short-term loans and student aid in the form of grants are made from this fund.
S&A Fees Committees
An S&A Fees Committee shall be established for Washington State University Global, Everett, Pullman, Spokane, Tri-Cities and Vancouver.
The Chancellors of Everett, Pullman, Spokane, Tri-Cities, Vancouver, and the Vice President of Academic Outreach and Innovation/Chancellor - Global Campus (AOI) shall appoint S&A Fees Committees for their respective units.
Each campus S&A Fees Committee is responsible for proposing to the University President and the Board of Regents, through their Chancellor, both a recommended S&A fee rate and the recommended allocation of S&A fee revenue.
Students shall hold a majority of the voting memberships on each committee. The student members shall represent diverse student interests and shall be recommended by the Associated Students of Washington State University (ASWSU) on each campus.
The chairperson of each S&A Fees Committee shall be selected by the members of that committee, and the chairperson must be a student.
All S&A Committee members should disclose any conflict of interest and/or committee affiliations with groups or individuals applying for S&A fees.
Each campus will develop operating guidelines that are consistent with these general provisions.
Allocating S&A fees revenue
S&A fees allocations must be approved by the Board prior to implementation.
The Board shall give S&A Fees Committee recommendations priority consideration while also honoring preexisting contractual obligations, bond covenant agreements, and stability for programs affecting students.
Each campus S&A Fees Committee will submit a proposed budget to the University President and the Board of Regents, through their respective campus Chancellor, for allocating S&A fees revenue prior to the May Board Meeting.
The proposed allocations will be based on estimates of S&A fees revenue provided by the WSU Budget Office. Each committee will adjust for additional S&A fee revenue, carry-forward and/or reserves to determine a total available budget allocation.
Each S&A Fees Committee shall invite student groups and organizations to provide a written request and prepare a verbal presentation to request funds for the following academic year and summer session. This request shall include how a group communicates that S&A fees are being utilized to support their group’s events/services.
The S&A Fees Committee will review each request and discuss the merits of each request and develop a budget, or allocation plan, that divides the estimated revenue among the various programs. The S&A Fees Committee should also consider carry-forward and unspent allocations from the various programs.
The S&A Fees Committees will provide recommendations to their Chancellor for approval, who will forward to the President for approval and presentation to the Board.
After the Board’s approval, the University President, or designee, shall review the S&A Fees Committee proposed budget allocations, and publish a written response to the S&A Fees Committee. In the event there are areas of difference between the S&A Fees Committee proposed budget and the written response, the difference will be resolved as outlined in RCW 28B.15.045.
When a new academic year begins, revenue transfers are made by the WSU Budget Office from a central account to accounts designated by each campus. Each group that receives an allocation of S&A fees revenue shall be subject to all applicable policies, regulations, and procedures of WSU, and the Budget and Accounting Act. (RCW 42.88)
As the academic year progresses, the WSU Budget Office will compare budgeted revenue to actual revenue received and may revise the revenue forecast. The S&A Fees Committee may propose to the University President, through their Chancellor, supplemental allocations or reductions to previously approved allocations if actual revenue is expected to be significantly different from the budgeted amount. The Board of Regents delegates to the University President the authority to make minor supplemental changes to the allocations for each campus not to exceed five percent (5%) of the campus total.
WSU System Oversight Committee
In service to the WSU system, the administrative representatives on the WSU Pullman S&A Fees Committee, as defined in “Composition and Tenure,” page 9, section 1(e), will serve in an oversight capacity for the general administration of S&A fees.
General administration duties of the committee include reviewing applicable state laws and regulations to ensure WSU system compliance with applicable laws and rules. The oversight committee will make recommendations to update these S&A Fees Guidelines when necessary.
The S&A oversight committee will determine a date to deliver the proposed budget allocations to the University President’s office for review. The University President, or designee, will later present the proposed budgets to the Board for approval at their May meeting of the Board.