The Student Activities Fee, a small percentage of each student's tuition used to fund University clubs and organizations, will be uncapped for the 2009 to 2010 academic year after the Board of Trustees approved a budget containing that stipulation last Wednesday, according to Senior Vice President for Students and Enrollment Jean Eddy. The decision to uncap the fee means that 1 percent of each student's tuition will be placed in the SAF and used to finance the operations of University- recognized clubs and organizations. Eddy said that the decision to uncap the Activities Fee means that it will grow with the 3.9-percent tuition increase that was also passed at the Board meeting. "If the tuition is increased by 3.9 percent, which is what the Board just voted on, then the SAF would increase accordingly," said Eddy. A tuition increase of 3.9 percent would set tuition for next year at just over $37,680, creating an activity fee of almost $377 per student.

The decision comes approximately a week after the Student Union submitted a proposal calling for the fee to be uncapped. Student Union President Jason Gray '10 explained last week that the Union took this initiative because on-campus clubs and organizations have become strapped for funds as more clubs are being chartered by the Senate and because the quality of events planned by clubs are improving.

Last year, an agreement was reached between the Student Union and the administration to cap the activity fee for the current academic year at its level during the 2007 to 2008 academic year due to an excess of money resulting from the SAF caused by money continually rolling over from year to year.

The agreement was reached with the understanding that the issue of uncapping the SAF again would be revisited this year if a compelling case could be made in its favor, according to Eddy.

Eddy said the Student Union had made a compelling case in calling for the activities fee to be uncapped, citing the Union's contentions that "they had totally taken care of the rollover from last year and, in addition to that, they had significantly more requests for funding than they had the ability to fund, more so than in any other administration."

In a previous interview with the Justice, Stephen Costa, a budget advisor to the University, stated that the entire amount of rollover at the beginning of this academic year, approximately $151,000, had been either spent or allocated.

Based on the evidence that the Student Union presented to her, Eddy said that she put forward the Union's recommendation to uncap the activities fee as part of the larger budget voted on by the Board at its meeting last Wednesday.

"Because of the fact that the SAF is dependent on 1 percent of tuition, it's important to uncap it so that you can derive the increase in tuition," Eddy said. This means that as SAF increases with the tuition, it is important to uncap the SAF so that there will be extra money due to tuition increases.

Eddy said that traditionally the Board of Trustees votes on a University budget in its entirety as presented by senior administration instead of checking the budget line by line. Last year, when the Activities Fee was capped, it was done with the support of the Board.

Gray said that he is very happy about the decision because clubs and organizations on the Brandeis campus need the funds that the uncapped activities fee will provide to continue their operations.