Fee Transparency Project

Attendees: Chase Hayes, Fiona Weigant, Brent Insua, Brynna Downey, Isaac Karth, May Alvarez, Rojina Bozorgnia, Venkatesh Nagubandi, Sue Carter, Lisa Bishop, Lucy Rojas, Lydia Jenkins-Sleczkowski, Anna Finn

Approval of Agenda and Minutes
1. Rojina motions to approve the agenda, Brynna seconds. No objections, motion passes.
2. Venkatesh motions to approve the minutes, Rojina seconds. No objections, motion passes.
Announcements and Updates
1. Welcome Stevenson College Rep - Rojina. Introductions.
  1. Chase and the committee members welcome Rojina to the space.
2. Announcements
  1. Spring Quarter Regular Meeting Time
    1. New meeting time is Wednesdays from 3:00 - 4:00 pm
      1. This will be the regular meeting time, at least for the next few meetings.
    2. Moving forward, we will require members “register” when they login in to the Zoom meeting. To assist with security and tracking participation.
  2. Student Forum on Communications - Tuesday. Added to your Google calendar.
    1. Lucy invited a consultant and Scott Hernandez Jason to a forum to help provide feedback about the communications and information being presented to students. Social media may also be a discussion point at the forum.
  3. Other Announcements
    1. No other announcements.
Guests for Spring Quarter
1. Purpose: opportunity to learn about impacts of COVID-19 on campus operations, service delivery, revenue, etc.
  1. Chase asks how the group wants to ask these questions and engage in conversation with these units. It might be best to determine what we want to learn, and what they might want to share with us. How should the group prepare for these conversations?
    1. Brynna mentions that people tend to speak in general terms, especially when talking about future plans. If the committee can talk about specific items that each unit is engaging in, that can lead to more concrete outcomes.
    2. Fiona adds that SAB has a similar approach when they meet with the Chancellor, EVC, or other units. They send the agenda out a week ahead of time, and they come prepared for these questions. Preparation has been useful when there is limited time.
2. Health Center and CAPS: Confirmed for April 22nd
  1. Preparation: what would we like to know, what questions do we have?
  2. Chase asks what specific questions we want to ask these units?
  3. Lucy adds that these groups may want to ask SFAC questions for feedback. What are the services being delivered, what financial impacts might they face in the future? SFAC can offer to be a space these directors consult for questions.
  4. Fiona suggests thinking into Fall Quarter, and if evidence of TB certification will be required for incoming frosh? Is there a plan if fall quarter goes virtual?
    1. Lucy clarifies that these immunization requirements are set UC-wide, and is already online.
    2. Fiona specifies that there may be a need for students to get immunized if they haven’t already met these requirements.
3. Other guests for future meetings:
  1. TAPS
    1. Brynna asks if they have thought about modifying the services provided, such as providing a grocery route?
    2. Some bus lines are irregular now. Students are no longer going from the base to on campus now, and we could reconfigure what routes are needed to give access to different services.
    3. Fiona adds that the Express Store could become a grocery store.
    4. Lucy shares that all metro buses are now running on weekend schedules.
    5. Fiona adds that buses are meant for essential workers only, and one-way rotations on buses.
    6. Chase asks how students are getting places now?
  2. Athletics & Recreation
  3. Others
  4. These units seem to be very relevant to current conversations around student fees right now.
  5. May asks if there is any remote programming? While these programs are being offered, how is outreach being provided to students, and what is the threshold for when these events are “worth it”?
  6. Lucy shares that the Health Center and CAPS have moved to a telehealth model. The Health Center has been receiving good feedback from students about these changes. It is important to think about these issues in terms of more long-term services and changes to these units. The services students are experiencing can inform long-term formats after COVID-19. These formats may provide more flexibility, or be preferred to in-person events. Lucy encourages the committee to think both short-term and long-term. This could inform practices for a long time.
  7. Lucy suggests inviting Dining to the space, since their operations have been modified.
    1. Chase adds how students are adjusting from relocation, especially if they no longer have access to kitchens? How is this transition working?
  8. Isaac mentions asking units specific questions about their situation with online programming, with COVID and student fee impacts.
3:00 - 3:30 PM: Visit with Associate Chancellor and Chief of Staff Anna Finn (Chancellor’s Office) - Discussion on Student Fees in the context of COVID-19 and beyond
1. Chase welcomes Anna Finn to the space.
2. Lucy shares that Anna offered to join SFAC’s meeting. Lucy and Anna met this past week, and want SFAC to help guide both short and long-term plans in regards to student fees. The campus is now looking into long-term impacts to student engagement and instruction. This is an opportunity for an ongoing conversation about these issues. These conversations can talk about the student fee structure and its impacts, both this quarter and in future quarters.
3. Anna shares that UCOP has given strict directives regarding student fees, partly because fees pay for salaries, debt service, and return-to-aid. There is no policy around sunsetting fees that may not be used anymore. There is no process, so it is unclear how to reduce fees that are no longer significant.
  1. What fees do we have now that could help the campus think through this policy, that may have large carryforwards? How these fees affect students is a big topic.
    1. Venkatesh asks if this would be for outlived fees for programs that have been modified, or for current fee systems? Anna clarifies that there is no clear way to think through these fees, and wants to think in long-term, no-sunset fees.
    2. Venkatesh says that some fees stop being useful over time, and students aren’t aware of what they’re paying for. A good system could be to establish a review process by asking students if they think fees are still necessary.
      1. Chase adds that SFAC tried to have this conversation in the past, and it is a big task. SFAC could draft a process to oversee this.
4. Chase asks if there are any policies like this on other campuses?
5. Fiona mentions unexpended balances and carryforwards. We also could be in this remote environment for a long time, and we should look at both new fees and older fees. What kind of infrastructure is needed for online learning? For example, lab components might need fees to support their operations and new environments.
  1. Anna says there would need to be a nuanced way to look at carryforwards. There are many reasons that could cause this, and wants to have a holistic approach in asking these questions. Significant carryforwards and fee payouts have signals, such as multiple years’ accumulation.
  2. Remote and course fees go through the Planning and Budget committee.
  3. Campus-based fees go through SFAC’s consultation for opinions for ballot measures. This opinion becomes part of ballot language for referenda.
  4. Students from SFAC participate on both course and miscellaneous fee committees.
6. Brynna agrees with Venkatesh. The MCFAC committees work very efficiently, though it is carried significantly by Lucy van Doorn. She suggests that policies should account for turnover in student organizations. There should be a way to force fees to sunset, if the government legislature passes budgets to accommodate these expenses.
7. Lisa clarifies that there is a separate MCFAC process for all fees covered by those. The referenda process goes through SFAC. At least one fee has been sunsetted because it was no longer needed, and went to the Chancellor for approval. This information was conducted by the previous budget director.
8. Venkatesh expresses that student groups should not have carryforwards, and suggests having a hard limit on how much carryforward a group can have. Special permissions could be granted in unique cases. This would track large amounts of money.
9. Chase asks if units are required to provide reports to show how student fees are being used? Anna says that they are engaged in a full analysis of costs, and they are very large with remote operations. They are figuring out costs for units taking student fees, and would like to be transparent about what the costs are this quarter. This information is difficult to release right now, and are still figuring out accrued costs.
  1. Chase says that this could be addressed at future meetings with Lucy. Expenses are increasing for different reasons, and it would be helpful to communicate these reasons to students.
10. Fiona adds that it should be made clear that fees have already been spent this spring quarter for salaries. Going forward, it should be communicated if fees could be paused for single quarters. Fixed costs also should be expressed.
  1. Venkatesh agrees that there should be a system of pausing fees going forward.
11. Anna shares that these conversations about fall are already happening. She adds that there might be a charge to SFAC to examine long-term policies.
12. Anna thanks the group for continuing this work through the COVID-19 situation.
13. Lucy adds that the group meets every week, and invites the Chancellor or any administrative staff to come to meetings if there is ever an advisory need.
Adjournment
1. Chase says to please let him know if any committee members want to take charge of next steps related to policies or processes.
2. Lisa says that there should be a methodology for SFAC to be involved in this process. It is good to look at other campuses’ processes as well.
  1. Lisa will pass it along to both Kimberly and Lucy. This document would probably look at removing, not reducing, fees.
  2. Lucy says that Anna is hoping for a comprehensive policy that covers different scenarios.
    1. Does SFAC want to form small subcommittees/quaranteams?
3. Venkatesh suggests looking at how summer fees operate as a model, and adjusting that model to fit the context of remote instruction.
4. May motions to adjourn, Venkatesh seconds. No objections, motion passes.
  1. Please remember that next week’s meeting is a different time.

Next meeting: Wednesday, April 22nd @ 3:00 pm