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Student Activity Fee Program & Events
Student Activity Fee F.A.Q.s
| Question | Answer |
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| How can I be involved in deciding which events are brought to campus? |
Join OUAB and have your voice heard or give current members your ideas! OUAB is the Ohio Union Activities Board, which receives the largest portion of the fee to plan campus events. OUAB is always looking for energetic students to help brainstorm ideas of what performers and events to bring to campus. Go to www.ouab.osu.edu for more information or to provide a suggestion. |
| How do student organizations benefit from the Activity Fee? |
Each registered student organization is eligible to receive up to $200 in operating funds and has the opportunity to apply for up to $2,000 or $3,000 more (depending on their registration status) for special programs that anyone on campus can attend. In addition, the Student Organization Resource Center (SOURCE) receives funding for the equipment and tools that student organizations can use. |
| How much money do I pay for the Student Activity Fee? |
The fee is a graduated fee, based on the number of credit hours in which a student is enrolled. Consequently, the fee can range from $1 to $15 per quarter. Typically, undergraduates enrolled in 12 or more credit hours and graduate/professional students enrolled in at least 10 credit hours are assessed the full $15 fee.
Students in programs with a non-quarter based academic calendar (such as Law) have their Student Activity Fee calculated accordingly. |
| How much money does the fee bring in? |
The fee fund totals approximately $2.18 million. |
| What is Explore Columbus? |
Explore Columbus allows students to buy discounted tickets to sporting events, concerts, and cultural events throughout Columbus and Ohio. Discounts are also available to area movie theatres, restaurants, the Columbus Zoo, COSI, and the Funny Bone Comedy Club, as well as the Columbus Museum of Art and many others. Tickets are sold at The Ohio Union Information Center (currently located in the Ohio Stadium between Gates 22 and 24 until the new Ohio Union opens in 2010). Students may purchase with a valid Buck-ID. Students should check www.explorecolumbus.osu.edu for the most updated list of tickets available. |
| What is the Alternative Breaks Program? |
The Alternative Breaks Program is a weeklong, substance-free program centered on community service, held during the breaks between the University's fall/winter quarters, winter/spring quarters, and spring/summer quarters. Get more information on how to get involved with the 20-30 domestic and international trips sponsored each year at www.ohiounion.osu.edu/activityfee/asb.asp |
| What is the money generated from the fee used for? |
The breakdown is:
55% campus-wide programming administered by Ohio Union Activities Board (OUAB)
20% student organization funding
10% student government funding
12% Explore Columbus community cultural/entertainment event discounting
3% Alternative Breaks Program |
| What is the Student Activity Fee? |
It is a fee charged to all undergraduate, graduate and professional students each quarter. The fee is used to fund major campus events planned by the Ohio Union Activities Board, student organizations, student governments, the Explore Columbus program, and Alternative Spring Break. |
| What other Activity Fee-funded resources are available to student organizations? |
The SOURCE, which receives its budget from the Activity Fee, provides registered student organizations with access to a variety of resources and supplies including photocoping, poster printing, free reservation of equipment like digital cameras, camcorders, and two-way radios, and use of various marketing materials. Student organizations may also receive the free services of a team of graphic designers to help with design of posters, brochures, flyers, postcards, logos, etc. The graphics department can also help secure price quotes from outside printers and manufacturers, etc. |
| What sort of accountability exists for organizations that get the largest share of the Activity Fee? |
The primary beneficiaries of the Student Activity Fee funding are the Ohio Union Activities Board (OUAB), Undergraduate Student Government (USG), Council of Graduate Students (CGS), Inter-Professional Council (IPC), the Explore Columbus Program, and the SERV Team, which plans Alternative Break trips.
All of those organizations must report on a quarterly basis to the Council on Student Affairs (CSA) Allocations Committee, sharing information about their budgets, their upcoming plans, and the success of their past programs. Those same groups must report on an annual basis to the full CSA committee.
Because it receives the largest portion of the Activity Fee, OUAB must also report on a monthly basis to the Ohio Union Council, which is made up of students, staff, faculty, alumni, and community members. |
| What types of programs are sponsored by the fee? |
The fee funds free concerts, lectures, comedy shows, movies, and special events, as well as graduate and professional student programming, alternative spring break service trips, and discounted tickets to cultural events occurring off-campus. |
| Who decides how the Student Activity Fee is allocated? |
The Council on Student Affairs (CSA), which is a subcommittee of the University Senate, makes all decisions about the structure of the Student Activity Fee. CSA is a representative group of undergraduate, graduate, and professional students, faculty members, and staff members. One of CSA's subcommittees, the Allocations Committee, reviews funding requests made by registered student organizations and makes decisions about approving those requests. |
| Who pays the Student Activity Fee? |
The fee is charged to all undergraduate, graduate, and professional students enrolled at the OSU-Columbus campus only, which does not include regional campus students.
Students from other Franklin County colleges and universities participating in various cooperative programs with OSU-Columbus are charged tuition and fees based on their "home" institution. Therefore, only students paying their tuition and fees to OSU-Columbus are assessed the Activity Fee, and only those students are eligible for its benefits. |
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