LAST WEEK, the Managing Board of The Cavalier Daily exchanged jabs with administration officials concerning a hike of the Student Activity Fee. The Board was disquieted by a seeming lack of public discussion last semester when administrators and student leaders worked together to prepare the newly implemented fee-increase proposal. While it appears proceedings may not have been particularly clandestine, the Managing Board was correct to question the transparency of administrative decision-making as student government and school administrators alike are notorious for assuming they know what is best for students instead of testing the forum of public opinion. However, in this particular case it appears all parties involved have failed to ask a more important fundamental question. Instead of simply concerning themselves with the allocation of newly levied funds, students ought to consider the legitimacy of the activities fee as a whole.
Along with their already hefty tuition, every full-time University student is required to pay the $47 SAF, monies that go to support the many CIOs on Grounds as well as various student support services and, of course, the administrative bureaucracy that supervises such operations. And while all students are able to utilize support services, join CIOs or even start their own organizations, not all students participate. Thus, the University is able to distribute the amassed SAF funds and subsidize the activities of those who take advantage of proffered programs at the expense of those who decline to do so.
Naturally, the University does not offer students the option of declining the SAF or allocating their $47 as they please. Students who disagree with the "speech activities" of an SAF funded group can undergo an arduous process and have a small portion of their fee refunded, but those who simply decline to conform to the administration's expectations have no recourse.
While the system is wonderful for students involved in programs like club sports, which run high budgets for equipment and travel, it is fundamentally unfair for students who choose not to participate. Many offer the justification that all students can and should participate in what they believe to be a key component of a healthy college lifestyle. But while student organizations are a special part of any university community, they are not mandatory
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