Where, oh where, will my money go?

Highlights of SFC decisions for recommended student fee dollar spending in 2018-19

Portland State Student Fee Committee met Dec. 6 and Jan. 3 to finalize deliberations on its recommended budget allocation for Fiscal year 2019, beginning July 1, 2018.

Each term, PSU students pay an incidental fee, currently set at a $238 flat rate for full-time students. Funds collected from the incidental fee are budgeted for PSU groups and organizations known as Fee Funded Areas. FFA’s include Associated Students of PSU; campus resource centers; child care services; PSU Student Media; Athletics; Campus Recreation and several other student organizations.

SFC members create budget recommendations to present to PSU President Rahmat Shoureshi for final approval. The following recommendations are not finalized until Shoureshi’s review.

Changes to 2018-19 incidental fee rates

SFC members recommended a $2 increase in students’ incidental fee for 2018-19. Currently, students enrolled in 1-11 credits pay incidental fee rates between $73 and $223 per term, plateauing at $238 for 12 credits and above.

Next year, students taking eight or more credits would pay the new flat rate of $240, with lesser rates for 1-7 credit enrollment.

Top 5 budgets in SFC recommended 2018-19 allocations

  1. Athletics $3,669,903
  2. Campus Rec $2,383,870
  3. Student Activities & Leadership Programs $1,327,857*
  4. Smith Memorial Student Union $1,255,814
  5. Helen Gordon Child Development Center: $1,228,480

*SALP funds several student organizations using incidental fees.

Budgets set to increase
– Organizational Budget Council Reserve
– Resource Center For Students With Children: 3 percent
– 5th Avenue Cinema: 3 percent
– Helen Gordon Child Development Center: 4 percent
– Women’s Resource Center: 13 percent
– Veterans Resource Center: 16 percent
– Food Pantry: 26 percent
– Leadership Fellows: 28 percent
– Student Sustainability Center: 102 percent
– Queer Resource Center: 4 percent
– Little Vikings: 5 percent
– Graphic Design Center: 10 percent

Budgets set to decrease
– ASPSU: 1 percent
– Smith Memorial Student Union: 3 percent
– KPSU: 10 percent
– PSU-TV: 10 percent
– Pacific Sentinel Magazine: 6 percent
– Pathos Literary Magazine: 6 percent
– Portland State Vanguard: 5 percent
– Portland State Professional Sound: 1 percent
– Campus Rec: 3 percent
– Student Educational Travel: 6 percent
– PSU Student Media Operations: 14 percent

Full of list of SFC 2018-19 budget recommendations
1. 5th Avenue Cinema: $74,126
2. ASPSU: $358,270
3. ASPSU Children’s Center: $270,537
4. Athletics: $3,669,903
5. Campus Rec: $2,383,87
6. Cultural Resource Centers: $495,148
7. EMSA Reserve: $17,789
8. PSU Food Pantry: $60,185
9. Graphic Design Center: $14,811
10. Helen Gordon Child Development Center: $1,228,480
11. Jim Sells: $539,649
12. KPSU: $67,241
13. Leadership Fellows: $108,252
14. Little Vikings: $118,636
15. Littman & White Art Galleries: $41,179
16. Organizational Budget Council: $31,107
17. OBC Council (Reserve): $568,633
18. Pacific Sentinel: $45,213
19. Pathos: $13,600
20. Portland State Professional Sound: $92,576
21. PSU.TV: $38,489
22. Queer Resource Center: $345,588
23. Rec Clubs Council: $245,611
24. Resource Center for Students with Children: $259,684
25. SALP Minor Equipment Reserve: $35,885
26. Smith Memorial Student Union: $1,255,814
27. Speaker’s Board: $43,201
28. Student Activities & Leadership Programs: $1,327,857
29. Student Community & Engagement Center: $123,206
30. Student Educational Travel: $22,781
31. Student Legal Services: $725,299
32. Student Media Operations: $220,762
33. Student Sustainability Center: $143,991
34. Portland State Vanguard: $189,614
35. Veterans Resource Center: $132,960
36. Womens Resource Center: $475,314
37. Discretionary Reserve: $50,000
38. Designated Reserve: Little Vikings $11,650
39. Designated Reserve: QRC $43,089 (for part-time position)

Breakdown of increased and decreased budget allocation information comes from a Jan. 17 emailed ASPSU update.