University of Virginia Library

---

5145

APPROVAL OF THE REVISION OF THE STUDENT ACTIVITY FEE
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE AND FUNDING GUIDELINES

The following resolution was adopted:

• WHEREAS the Funding Guidelines for the Allocation of the Student Activity Fee be and they are hereby revised and restated as follows:
• RESOLVED that the Student Activities Committee shall be charged with the authority and responsibility, under the President, for supervision of the Student Activity Fee. With respect to the purpose of an allocation from the Fund, unless otherwise directed by the President, the procedures shall be as follows:
• STATEMENT OF PURPOSE:
• The purpose of the student activity fee is to provide financial support for student organizations related to the educational purpose of the University of Virginia. As a mandatory student fee, the monies collected by the University for funding student activities are public funds which must be administered in a manner consistent with the educational purpose of the University as well as with state and federal law.
• STUDENT ACTIVITIES ELIGIBLE FOR FUNDING:
• The Rector and Visitors have determined that activities of the student organizations in the following categories relate to the educational purpose of the University and thus are eligible for funding.
• 1. Special Status Student Organizations charged by the Board of Visitors;
• 2. co-curricular organizations which are not administered by University departments or units;
• 3. club sports;
• 4. student news, information, opinion, entertainment, or academic communications media groups;
• 5. cultural organizations;
• 6. fine arts organizations;
• 7. Madison House;
• 8. hobby organizations;

---

5146



• 9. non-political groups whose predominate purpose is to present speakers on topics of probable general interest to the University;
• 10. the Student Legal Services; and
• 11. service organizations.
• The Board of Visitors has determined that fraternities, sororities, honor societies, political organizations, religious organizations, and special status student organizations not charged by the Board of Visitors are ineligible for funds from student activities fees. An organization is also ineligible when membership is restricted by reason of age, citizenship, color, disability, gender, race, religion, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, or status as a disabled veteran or veteran of the Vietnam era. Notwithstanding these requirements, a student organization may restrict membership based on ability to perform the activities related to the organization's purpose. In determining cases of discrimination, it is not sufficient to look merely to the constitution of an organization but to its actual practices and operations.
• RESOLVED that notwithstanding any other provision of these Guidelines, political organizations shall be eligible for funding for activities that do not constitute lobbying or electioneering, to the same extent that other organizations are eligible for such funding. No student news, information, opinion, entertainment, or academic communications media group shall be deemed ineligible for funding on the grounds that the ideas or viewpoints expressed or advocated by such group are religious in nature or because such group primarily promotes or manifests a particular belief(s) in or about a deity or an ultimate reality.
• STUDENT EXPENDITURES AND ACTIVITIES NOT ELIGIBLE FOR FUNDING:
• The Board of Visitors has further determined that the following expenditures and activities do not relate to the educational purpose of the University and thus are not eligible for funding:
• 1. honoraria or similar fees;
• 2. religious activities;
• 3. social entertainment or related expenses;
• 4. philanthropic contributions and activities; and
• 5. political activities; and
• 6. activities which could jeopardize the University's tax exempt status.

---

5147



• FUND ALLOCATION AND APPEAL PROCEDURES/PROCESS:
• The Student Activities Committee chaired by the designee of the Vice President for Student Affairs is charged with the authority and responsibility for supervision of the student activities fee fund. With respect to distributions from the fund, Student Council is responsible for allocations to eligible student organizations. The ceiling on the aggregate amount allocated to all such organizations shall be the current balance in the student activities fees fund. The allocation process follows procedures established by Student Council which are intended to maximize the use of the funds and are consistent with the above guidelines. The Student Council Appropriations Committee is responsible for following these procedures and making the recommendations to the Student Council Representative Body on the funding requests. In providing student organizations with appropriations deemed needed, the Student Council Appropriations Committee shall be further guided by such criteria as the size of the group, the University wide benefit of the group's activities, and the group's level of financial self-sufficiency. The committee is encouraged but is not required to appropriate all of the available fund balance.
• The Appropriations Committee recommended allocation to a student organization may be appealed to the Student Council Representative Body by any student or student organization. The Student Activities Committee is the next and final appeal for any budget reviewed and, in some cases, adjusted by the Student Council Representative Body. In addition, the Student Activities Committee may examine on its own motion any student organization's allocation request submitted to the Student Council.
• After the allocations are finalized, the Student Council Vice President for Student Organizations writes the chair of the Student Activities Committee requesting that the allocations for those funded organizations be released to the Student Activities Business Manager. When the Student Activities Business Manager receives the funds, they are deposited into a demand deposit account. Expenditures from the allocations can be made provided the student organization completes the proper authorization forms with the Student Activities Business Manager. (This procedure includes the student organization agreeing in writing that no monies from the fund will be expended for participation including the publishing or distribution of statements in any political campaign on behalf of or in opposition to any candidate for public office.) The student organizations receive their allocation on a per semester basis for payment of expenses of activities conducted during the fall and spring semesters only.
• Any funded student organization alleged to be in violation of the above guidelines is subject to the suspension or loss of student activity fee funding after notice and an opportunity to be heard by Student Council. The Student Activities Committee is the next and final appeal body. The Guidelines for Student Activities Fund Allocation apply to all student organization funding requests that are pending on, or are made after April 12, 1996.

---

5148



• REFUND:
• An individual student who objects to the funding of particular speech activities may obtain a refund of a portion of his/her Student Activity Fee payment. The amount of the refund is established at the end of the spring semester for the next academic year. The refund will be in the form of a credit to the student's University account. Requests for the refund are to be submitted to the Student Activities Business Manager by a date announced at the beginning of each semester. The Student Activities Fee Fund shall reimburse the University for such refunds as are made by the University pursuant to these procedures.