The Senate will debate Wednesday a referendum that could appear on the Student Government election ballot this spring.

The referendum, if approved, would allow for students to vote on whether or not Student Government should encourage administrators to add a $4 increase to the Student Activity fee.

Currently, all students pay a mandatory fee of $331.95 that goes toward student services, building costs and recreation opportunities.

As it has been for several years, the student activity fee portion of that amount is $36.75, of which the funds go toward Student Government to later be allocated by the organization to campus initiatives and student groups. 

“Student organizations have needed funding more than ever before, and there has not been an increase in the student activity fee for many years despite increases in prices due to inflation,” according to the bill. “Student Government has had to cut funding from student organization’s budgets due to having insufficient funding for the student’s need.”

If approved by the Senate Wednesday, the referendum will be placed on the election but will still be subject to student approval. If the students vote in support of the fee increase, it will still need to be approved by the Special Student Fee and Tuition Committee, administrators and the Board of Regents.

Student Government President Cody West said that if enacted, students would not likely see the increase until fall 2019.

West said that the student activity is being proposed for three main reasons: increased requests for student organization, a decrease in enrollment and greater funding needs from the Graduate and Professional Student Senate. 

Additionally, there hasn’t been a student activity fee increase in roughly five years and believes the cost should be adjusted for inflation. 

He said he understands, however, that a concern students may have with the increase is with the additional rising costs of tuition and other student fees. 

“That $4 a year matters,” West said. “I mean, at the end of the day every penny that a student is charged for the cost of attendance at Iowa State does matter because at the end of the year that increase is a dollar amount for that family or that student paying for their own education.

“So you can’t ignore the fact that although it is a single-digit number … it does have a large implication on a lot of our students.”

Last year, the Student Government elections had a referendum on its ballot that, if voted yes on, would have increased student fees by $72 over the course of two years to total $99.55 per semester.

The students voted no and the Special Student Fee and Tuition Committee instead proposed a $15 fee increase which has yet to be approved by the Board of Regents. In August, however, the Senate voted to support the increase.

West said that should students vote against the $4 increase, he would encourage the next president and vice president to respect that decision. 

“If they make the decision to vote ‘no’ on that, I feel I have no other option — I don’t want to go against the student word on that,” he said. “I just wouldn’t feel comfortable moving forward with something when the students aren’t in favor of it.

“I think if we get to the point where we’re out of money to fund student organizations, things of that nature, we just need to reevaluate how we do finances as a whole.”