In the wake of the university suspending Student Activity Fee (SAF) fund distribution to comply with Mississippi House Bill 1193 (though temporarily blocked by U.S. District Court Judge Henry Wingate), the Division of Student Affairs hosted a Student Advisory Council meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 1, for representatives of various registered student organizations (RSOs) to discuss how organizations will receive funding in the future.
“Over the last few weeks, university staff, in consultation with student leaders, have worked diligently to create a new model to provide student programming funded by student activity fees. The new model — which we have seen work successfully at peer universities — provides more university-sponsored events using the student activity fees, in place of distributing student activity fees directly to registered student organizations to put on programming,” Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Shawnboda Mead said in an email to RSO leaders on Sept. 25.
HB 1193 prohibits Mississippi public K-12 and postsecondary schools from maintaining “any programs, including academic programs or courses, or offices that promote or endorse divisive concepts or concepts promoting transgender ideology, gender-neutral pronouns, heteronormativity, gender theory, sexual privilege or any related formulation of these concepts.”
UM students are charged $2 per credit hour for which they are enrolled to be added to SAF funds. Per a recent Mississippi Attorney General opinion, the HB 1193 exempts RSOs but not student activity fees, which the opinion labeled state funds.
How are RSOs being affected?
RSOs will no longer receive SAF funds directly. Instead, RSOs have been encouraged to submit ideas for programming to the Division of Student Affairs using its suggestion form.
There is an Oct. 3 priority deadline for the fall semester for RSO leaders to submit their funding proposals for review. After that, proposals can be submitted throughout the year and will be reviewed by a committee made up of an indeterminate number and proportion of students and staff that will determine which organizations they recommend receive funding. It is unknown how students and staff will be selected for this committee.
The ultimate decision, however, on which RSOs receive funding for programming will be made by Mead.
This shift means that RSOs will no longer be able to use SAF money to host their own events. Instead, the university will sponsor and host select events that RSOs suggest. RSOs are not prevented from seeking outside funding for their own events through private sources.
Student Affairs also will effectively take over the ASB Treasury’s role of distributing the SAF. Student Affairs is hoping to work with ASB to develop a private fund to help pay for things such as posters, tabling and decorations for meetings for student organizations.
Long-term, however, there is no clarity on what this funding model will look like. At the meeting, it was requested that RSOs focus on this semester because further funding plans will be communicated later down the road.
What will happen to the SAF money already paid?
SAF money that is already collected through tuition is considered Mississippi state funds that are in control of the university. This money will be directed by suggestion of the council and approval of Mead.
Which activities will continue to receive funding?
Under the new model, only university-sponsored events that pass the council recommendation and Mead’s approval will receive SAF funding. Due to this, SAF funds will no longer be distributed directly to RSOs.
RSOs can receive funding for events but will no longer receive funds for promotional materials, such as t-shirts, buttons or catering. Mead explained to those in attendance at the Wednesday meeting that the university is looking at creating a private fund with ASB, which will be made up entirely by private donations, in order to fund those additional activities. RSOs can fundraise and charge membership fees to attain funding for those promotional materials.
How can RSOs continue to receive funding?
RSOs at the meeting were encouraged to develop tentative budgets that they can share with Student Affairs in order to demonstrate what their costs might be so that the university can accurately assess funding requests.
In order to have funding approved by Mead, RSOs must make events open to all students. RSOs hosting events that are for members only will not receive funding from Student Affairs.
Aly Bradshaw contributed reporting.
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story reported RSOs were encouraged to charge membership fees to pay for promotional material. The story has been revised to indicate that, while RSOs can charge membership dues, no member of the university administration is encouraging that action.
