Standard Operating Procedures

Revised May, 2007

I. Purpose

The Student Service Fee Advisory Board is responsible for reviewing requests to increase existing allocations or requests to create new allocations of the Student Service Fee to out-of-class student programs and services and providing recommendations on the disposition of the same to the Vice President for Student Affairs, who is responsible for approving, disapproving or adjusting all Student Service Fee allocations. Once approved, the responsibility for oversight and administration of the Student Service Fee allocations rests with the Vice President for Student Affairs.

The Board is also responsible for reviewing requests to increase the Student Health Center Fee, Recreational Sports Fee and University Center Fee and providing recommendations on the same to the Vice President for Student Affairs.

II. Composition of the Board

A. Board

1. The Board will consist of 8 (eight) student members and 1 (one) student Chair. Four new members will be selected each year for two-year terms. The Chair will be selected to serve for a single year term.

2. The nine-member Board will be appointed by the Student Senate (5 members) and the President of the University (4 members).

B. Chair

1. The Chair will be selected through an interview and application process.

2. The selection will be made by a joint committee comprised of the current Student Body President, the Speaker of the Student Senate, the previous Student Service Fee Advisory Board Chair, the Graduate Student Council President, and a representative from the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs.

3. The Chair will be selected early in the spring semester in order to provide enough time for selection of the Board members.

4. Should a vacancy arise in the Chair's position during the course of the year, the joint committee will reconvene and fill the vacancy with one of the currently seated Board members who has already served for at least one year.

5. The Chair or his/her designee will report each semester to the Senate and Graduate Student Council on the Board's progress with speaking privileges on budgets only and with the ability to introduce the bills containing the Board recommendation.

C. Board Members

1. The Board will consist of nine student members (eight members and one chair) who are enrolled for not less than six semester hours and a minimum GPR of 2.0 (undergraduate) or 3.0 (graduate).

2. The members will be selected through an application and interview process conducted by a joint committee comprised of the current Student Body President, the Speaker of the Student Senate, the Student Service Fee Advisory Board Chair, the Graduate Student Council President or their designees. A maximum of two alternates may be selected.

3. Once the selection process is complete, the names of prospective Board members will be sent to the Graduate Student Council and the Vice President for Student Affairs for their review and recommendation to the Student Government Association and the President of the University.

4. Student Government will appoint five students to SSFAB, three students to serve two-year terms, and two students to serve one-year terms. The remaining four members, who should be representative of the entire University population, will be appointed by the President.

5. Should a vacancy arise in the general membership of the Board, it will be filled for the unexpired portion of the term by an alternate or, if necessary, using the appointment process described in C(2) above.

6. Board members will be selected during the Spring semester, normally three weeks after the Chair is selected.

7. It is recommended that the number of undergraduate and graduate student members on the Board should reflect the respective ratios in the student body.

8. Those students whose terms expire must reapply for membership in order to be considered for a new appointment.

D. Advisors

1. The Vice President for Student Affairs will appoint an advisor who will advise the Board and Chair on administrative issues.

2. The advisor will have a complete understanding of University policies and finances and advise the Board regarding the intricacies of Student Service Fee Advisory Board operations.

3. The advisor is expected to attend all meetings.

4. A secondary advisor will be appointed by the Vice President for Student Affairs to serve in the absence of the primary advisor.

III. Procedure

A. Training

All Board members will attend workshop(s) in which budget procedures, ethics, University policies, and departmental operations are explained. Extensive training will be provided by the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs for all new members, so that they may become familiar with budget items, fiscal policy, and any pertinent accounting knowledge that may prove beneficial for review of the budget increase request forms.

B. Departmental Liaisons

During the spring semester, each requesting department will be assigned a liaison from the Student Service Fee Advisory Board. It is the liaison's responsibility to familiarize him/herself, in depth, with the department's budget and any potential budget increase requests the department may propose. The liaison is also expected to maintain ongoing communication with the department's Director and to answer any questions that individual may have about the funding process.

C. Student Senate and Graduate Student Council Liaisons

Individual liaisons from the Student Senate and Graduate Student Council can be appointed to interact with each of the departments benefiting from the four mandatory fees to facilitate communication between the Student Senate/Graduate Student Council and the departments. The departments will maintain the established precedent of open and continual communication with Student Government and the Graduate Student Council, as reflected in Attachment A (PDF).

D. Departmental Orientations

During the Spring semester, each department requesting fees will conduct a brief orientation session for the entire Board. No budget figures will be discussed at this time, only the services the requestor provides to the University.

E. Requirements for Budget Requests (Fall Semester)

1. Prior to review by the Board, requestors' budget increase request forms must be turned in to the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs for review and any necessary changes or adjustments.

2. The Chair will provide requestors with the budget information early in the semester.

3. All budget requests for funding increases will be documented on the budget and detailed on a Budget Increase Request Form.

F. Requirements for Allocation Procedures

1. The new Chair will meet with the Student Government Association's Vice President of Finance in early Fall to go over the timeline, goals, and procedures of the Student Service Fee Advisory Board.

2. Each department will present to the Board the various aspects of its budget and answer any questions raised by the Board.

3. Deliberations will be conducted to allow the Board to review each department's budget increase request form. Questions raised by the Board will then be taken back to the fee requestor in written form.

4. Departments will submit written answers to the Board's questions at least three days prior to the completion of deliberations.

5. The Board will then proceed with closed final deliberations resulting in a final recommendation for subsequent submission to the Student Senate and Graduate Student Council.

6. The Board will share its final fee recommendations with requestors and the Vice President for Student Affairs. Fee requestors will also be notified as to when the Board will present its final recommendation to the Student Senate and the Graduate Student Council.

7. The Board will present to the Student Senate and Graduate Student Council its recommendations for allocations and fee increases, if any, for the Student Service Fee, Health Center Fee, Recreational Sports Fee and University Center Fee. Deadlines will be announced to allow for interaction with their constituents and providing the necessary feedback to the Vice President for Student Affairs. Increases over 10% for any of the fees must be approved by a majority vote of the students who participate in a general student election held for that purpose.

a. Student Service Fee: For recommended increases up to 6% Student Government and Graduate Student Council will provide feedback, but will not have voting authority to amend the recommendation. For recommended increases over 6% and up to 10% both the Graduate Student Council and Student Senate must approve in order for the increase to be sent forward to the Vice President for Student Affairs.

b. Health Center Fee: For recommended increases up to 10% Student Government and Graduate Student Council will provide feedback, but will not have voting authority to amend the recommendation.

c. Recreational Sports Fee: Any increase in the fee that exceeds by 10% or more the fee charged effective September 1, 2007, or last approved by a majority vote of the students, must be approved by a majority vote of the students who participate in a general election held for that purpose. Student Government and Graduate Student Council will provide feedback, but will not have voting authority to amend the recommendation.

d. Complex Fee: Any increase in the fee requires a majority vote of students enrolled at the University who participate in a general election held for that purpose.

8. When voting on the fee proposals the Student Senate and the Graduate Student Council will cast a yes/no vote with no line-item amendments or adjustments.

9. If either the Student Senate or Graduate Student Council, or both, vote not to endorse either of the allocation recommendations, the Speaker of the Student Senate and/or Graduate Student Council President will write a dissenting opinion to accompany the Student Service Fee Advisory Board recommendation to the Vice President for Student Affairs.

10. The Chair will deliver the recommendation to the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs.

11. All proposed fee increases will follow the approved University process (see Attachment A) (PDF).

12. An Ad Hoc Committee may be formed by the Student Body President to review the Student Service Fee Allocation Process.

G. Timeline for Student Service Fee Advisory Board

1. The following timeline will be implemented by the Student Service Fee Advisory Board Chair.

2. In cases of extenuating circumstances, the timeline and procedures may be altered by the Chair with permission from the Office of Vice President for Student Affairs and notification of the Student Body President and the President of the Graduate Student Council.

Timeline for Student Service Fee Allocation Board

Spring

3rd Week: Board Chair applications out

5th Week: Board Chair applications due

5th Week: Board member applications out

5th Week: Chair interviews and selection

7th Week: Interviews for Board members

8th Week: Board members selected

March: Board of Regents holds open meeting to discuss fee increase.

March or April: Department heads and liaisons meet to discuss departmental goals

April: Board holds departmental orientation sessions

Fall

Chair emails Directors to sign up for budget meetings

2nd Week: Training for Board begins

4th Week: Budget requests due to VP's office one week prior to presentation

5th — 8th Weeks: Each department will present the various aspects of its budget request and answer any questions raised by the Board

9th — 10th Weeks: Final deliberations; recommendations sent to VP and fee requestors

10th — 12th Weeks: GSC and Student Senate vote for approval/disapproval of the Board's recommendation to the Vice President for Student Affairs

13th Week: Vice President receives feedback and sends final recommendation to Texas A&M Fee Committee

IV. Documentation, Communication, and Openness

A. All meetings, allocations, budgets, and recommendations will be documented.

B. All Student Service Fee Advisory Board meetings will be open for the student body to attend. The only meetings limited to Board members will be the final deliberations.

C. All department budgets will be distributed to the Board and the Chair. All documentation will be handed down from one Chair to the next.

Standard Operating Procedures
Recommended for Approval:

Signed on 2/8/09 by
Ms. Beth Michel
SSFAB Chair

Signed on 2/10/09 by
Mr. Tom Reber
Associate Vice President for Student Affairs
SSFAB Advisor

Signed on 2/10/09 by
LtGen Joseph Weber, USMC (Ret)
Vice President for Student Affairs