Budget and Finance

DATE: February 19, 1997

TO: Guillermo Mayer, Chair
Campus Fee Advisory Committee

FROM: Stephen L. Weber, President

SUBJECT: Instructionally Related Activity - SDSU Policy

I have approved the Instructionally Related Activities campus policy which you transmitted to me January 21 on behalf of the Campus Fee Advisory Committee (reference attachment). I have endorsed this policy change so as not to delay the revised IRA Fee budget process. I appreciate the CFAC's considerable efforts under your very capable leadership to formulate a more comprehensive and collaborative approach to addressing campus fees. In recognition of the Committee's representation and effort, I believe that it would be more productive if any further comments form the Senate and the Associated Students regarding this policy were directed back to the Committee. As with any new initiatives, I anticipate there may be the need to expand or further revise the policy based upon more extensive discussion and actual experience.

Instructionally related activities are defined in Educational Code Section 89230 as follows:

"Instructionally related activities" means those activities and laboratory experiences that are at least partially sponsored by an academic discipline or department and that are, in the judgment of the president of a particular campus, with the approval of the trustees, integrally related to its formal instructional offerings.

Activities that are considered to be essential to a quality educational program and an important instructional experience for any student enrolled in the respective program may be considered instructionally related activities.

Instructionally related activities include but are not limited to, all of the following:

Each year prior to March 1, the Campus Fee Advisory Committee (CFAC) will make a recommendation as to the distribution of IRA funding between Academic Affairs, Athletics and their partially sponsored proposals, e.g., Club Sports, etc. This recommendation will take into account how the funds have been allocated and expended in the previous fiscal year consistent with the purposes for which the fee was established. Consideration may be given by Academic Affairs to adjusting base allocations after review of prior year expenditures and review of any new proposals.

No later than May 15, Academic Affairs will provide CFAC with its recommended allocation of funds to the colleges, noting any disagreement between a dean and a college council. If any such disagreement exists, Academic Affairs will provide a recommended resolution. CFAC will forward its final recommendations to the University President by June 1.

The university may contract with the Associated Students to administer the funds allocated by the various colleges. Under such a contractual arrangement, the college expenditure plans must comply with AS accounting procedures consistent with the campus policy governing the use of IRA funds.

APPROVED BY:

Stephen L Weber

02/06/1997

The term Instructionally Related Activities refers to a variety of programs which provide essential educational experiences for students such as intercollegiate athletics, forensics, model United Nations, music ensembles, and art exhibits. These programs supplement regular instructional offerings by affording students opportunities to perform, produce, or participate in various learning forums.

In 1974, the legislature authorized General Fund support for instructionally related activities and programs. After the first year of full funding, the Legislature reduced support for these activities to a small fraction of the original amount.

In 1977, the issue of an IRA student fee was brought before the Board of Trustees as an information item. Current Student Body fees were inadequate to support the instructionally related programs and activities on the campuses and full General Fund support had not been provided. Unless some method was developed to insure stable funding, the campuses faced the immediate reduction and possible elimination of most instructionally related programs and activities. A special task force composed of campus presidents, students, and Chancellor's office personnel recommended that the Board exercise its authority as contained in Section 89700 of the Education Code to establish a special student fee to fund instructionally related programs and activities as defined in Section 89230 of the Education Code.

The fee received broad-based support from all segments of the system. At SDSU, the Associated Students' largest financial program commitment was the support of Athletics. With the inception of the student IRA fee, Associated Students was able to shift the responsibility for Athletics to the IRA program including the purchase of athletic insurance. The IRA fee also pays for the cost of insurance for extramural athletic activities formerly borne by the Associated Students. The IRA fee was supported system wide because it provided stable funding for campuses with large athletic programs, and served the interests of the smaller campuses without large intercollegiate sports as well.

At SDSU, the IRA fee has provided an important although modest source of ongoing support to the Athletic program. Football and to a lesser extent men's basketball have traditionally been the only sports that came close to being self-supporting; the remaining fifteen, five for men, and ten for women, all require subsidization. Achievement of gender equality in accordance with the Cal-Now settlement and Title IX required an increase in the scope and numbers of women's programs, and an increase in support that was primarily addressed by a $2,000,000 General Fund increase in 1998/99.