The Campus Fee Advisory Committee at California State University, Fresno will hold a public forum from 4-5 p.m. Wednesday, April 23, for campus community members interested in offering comments on a proposed $70 instructionally related activities (IRA) fee increase.

The forum, in University Student Union Rooms 312-314, will precede the committee’s regular meeting. At the meeting, also open to the public, the committee will discuss what recommendation, if any, it will make to President John D. Welty about the proposal. The president will make the final decision.

The committee will review the results of a non-binding referendum April 8-10 in which students disapproved of the proposal by a 777-412 vote. Approximately 5 percent of the university’s 22,000-plus students voted in the election, which also decided student body officer positions.
The forum provides the committee with additional input to take into consideration, said Dr. Paul M. Oliaro, vice president of student affairs who is the committee chair.

Although CSU counsel has advised the university that meetings for the Fresno State Campus Fee Advisory Committee are not subject to state open meeting laws, committee members decided to open the April 23 meeting due to the level of student interest in the process, Oliaro said.

He added, “This committee retains the prerogative to open parts or all of their meetings to include public input. Fresno State students have demonstrated they are very interested in this next phase of the process, and we want to encourage them to participate.”

Students hold five of the nine seats on Fresno State’s Fee Advisory Committee, including the ASI president who appoints the other four students. Two faculty members, an Academic Affairs administrator and the Student Affairs vice president are the other members. Two ex-officio members, from Academic Affairs and Administrative Services, also are on the committee.

Stephen Trembley, an ASI vice president who is one of the appointed students on the committee, said the elected officers of the ASI worked with interested students in the past week to ensure they could have direct input.

“We have worked with Dr. Oliaro throughout the past week to develop a meeting format that allows students to bring their perspective to the Campus Fee Advisory Committee and participate in the process of shared governance,” Trembley said. “ASI has been committed to ensuring an open process. We are pleased that our dialogue provided this solution.”

Oliaro said the committee will send its recommendation as soon as possible to the president.

BACKGROUND
Authority for establishment of the Campus Fee Advisory Committee is vested in the presidents of CSU campuses by CSU Executive Order 740 which stipulates that the president may adjust certain fees and “is responsible for assuring that appropriate consultation occurs prior to adjusting any fee.” It directs the president to establish a fee advisory committee composed of student, faculty, staff, and administrative representatives “to provide advice to the campus president.”