Bylaws of the UCSF Student Services Fee Advisory Committee

Bylaws of the University of California, San Francisco
Student Services Fee Advisory Committee

Article I: Name

The Student Services Fee Advisory Committee (SSFAC) hereafter referred to as the Committee was established at the University of California, San Francisco to advise the Chancellor on the level and use of the Student Services Fee (formerly the Registration Fee), which shall be used to support services and programs that directly benefit students and that are complementary to, but not part of, the core instructional programs. These services and programs include, but are not limited to, operating and capital expenses for services related to the physical and psychological health and well-being of students; social and cultural activities and programs; services related to campus life and campus community; and educational and career support services.

Article II: Purpose

The purpose and objectives of the Committee shall be as follows:

  • To evaluate Student Services Fee-funded units and new Student Services Fee-funded proposals in order to make recommendations for allocations of the revenue generated by the Student Services Fee.
  • To ensure that the proposed Student Services Fee uses are in the best interests of the UCSF students and in compliance with existing policies and guidelines.
  • To evaluate the quality of student services and programs provided by units and recommend ways to improve them, if necessary.
  • To advise and provide information to the campus community, especially students, regarding student services and the Committee’s work.

Article III: Membership

Section 1. The general composition of the Committee will be twelve (12) students, one (1) to two (2) faculty members, and two (2) ex officio staff members in the following numbers:

  • One (1) student chair elected by the UCSF student body as the Vice President of Finance for the Graduate & Professional Student Association (GPSA).
  • Eleven (11) students reflecting the diversity and academic programs of the campus.
  • One (1) to two (2) members of the faculty appointed by the Vice Chancellor of Student Academic Affairs to serve for two-year terms.
  • One (1) administrative representative from Student Academic Affairs appointed by the Vice Chancellor of Student Academic Affairs (non-voting ex-officio).
  • One (1) administrative representative from Campus Life Services, appointed by the Vice Chancellor of Campus Life Services (non-voting ex-officio).

Section 2. The Committee may recommend alternates in addition to regular members for the purpose of training and replacement should a regular member drop out. Alternates shall participate in all phases of Committee work but do not hold voting privileges.

Section 3. An individual who serves in a (1) direct administrative capacity or (2) receives salary from a Student Services Fee funded unit may participate in discussion on the budget but shall not cast a vote. Members should inform the Committee Chair, in advance, if they have a potential conflict on a given budget. Revised 3-17-2015 UCSF Student Services Fee Advisory Committee Bylaws

Section 4. All students interested in serving on the Committee will apply through the Graduate & Professional Student Association (GPSA). The GPSA in turn will provide recommendations to the Vice Chancellor of Student Academic Affairs. The Vice Chancellor will appoint student members for the next year’s committee.

Section 5. All students shall be eligible for an appointment to the Committee if they are in good academic and judicial standing, have met the criteria and have disclosed any possible conflicts of interest when applying to serve the Committee.

Section 6. All student Committee members shall be appointed for an annual term and serve until the next appointments are announced.

Section 7. Reappointment of Committee members shall be permitted.

Section 8. Committee members may be removed for failure to carry out responsibilities as outlined in the Bylaws. Removal of a Committee member may be initiated by the Chair of the Committee or a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Committee and requires consultation with GPSA and approval by the Vice Chancellor of Student Academic Affairs.

Section 9. Professional staff assistance shall be provided by the Vice Chancellor of Student Academic Affairs and the Office of Budget and Resource Management for the preparation, distribution, and interpretation of budget materials and other information and logistics as needed. Other staff assistance may be requested and secured by the Committee. No staff member providing administrative assistance shall be considered a Committee member for the purposes of voting or establishing a quorum.

Article IV: Responsibilities

Section 1. The Committee shall be charged annually with submitting a recommendation on the allocation of Student Service Fee funds for the ensuing fiscal year to the Chancellor. These recommendations will be based upon careful review and deliberation over requests made by units that provide student services, which benefit students and which are complementary to, but not part of, the instructional program.

Section 2. The Chair shall be responsible for the following:

  • Preside at meetings of the Committee and ensure that Committee practices are consistent with Bylaws set for the Committee.
  • Along with staff support, prepare the Committee’s annual report of recommendations to the Chancellor.
  • Represent the Committee before campus and other organizations on matters of interest to the Committee.
  • Serve on the Executive Board of the UC Council on Student Fees (CSF), or provide a designee from the student membership of the Committee.
  • Vote only in the event of a tie.

Section 3. Meetings are mandatory for all Committee members. Meetings are an integral part of Revised 3-17-2015 UCSF Student Services Fee Advisory Committee Bylaws the Student Services Fee review process and are generally open to the public; however, the Chair may close the meeting to the public at any time if s/he feels that the presence of visitors is in any way inhibiting the discussions and business of the committee.

Section 4. The office of the Vice Chancellor of Student Academic Affairs and the Office of Budget and Resource Management will provide staff support for the Committee, but is not limited to: meeting scheduling, arranging meeting logistics, developing and presenting financial statements, maintaining website, taking meetings notes, facilitating annual final recommendation letter with the Chancellor’s signature, and answering questions about the state budget.

Article V: Procedures

The Committee shall adhere to the UC Regents Student Fee Policy, to the recommendations of the Council on Student Fees (CSF) and to the Bylaws contained herein.

Section 1. The committee will be furnished with the following:

  • Description of Committee tasks.
  • Current year schedule of meetings.
  • Program definitions, format, reports, and evaluations of Student Services Fee funded units and programs.
  • A financial statement with budget actuals and projections, including but not limited to the entire Student Services Fee base budget and all revenue for the current academic year; the expenses funded by the Student Services Fee; budgets, reserves, and one-time allocations of Student Services Fee-funded units; and historical information for each program, service, or activity supported by the Student Services Fee.
  • Other information pertinent to the Committee functions upon request.

Section 2. The Committee will send out a call for proposals to all currently Student Services Fee funded units and programs with an announced deadline. A call for new unit and program proposals will be announced when (a) the Student Services Fee has a substantial reserve or (b) if the Student Services Fee is raised resulting in an increase in the revenue for the Student Services Fee budget.

Section 3. The Committee may request student data regarding student services and units via instruments such as surveys or questionnaires in order to better understand student sentiment about the quality of the services that they utilize. The Committee may meet with a member of the Office of Institutional Research (OIR) and advise the OIR on issues that the Committee suggests should be collected and reviewed.

Section 4. There will be an adequate amount of full Committee meetings in the Winter Quarter to: provide an overview of the review process; review budget proposals and to hear budget presentations; and deliberate and determine the recommendations to be presented to the Chancellor.

Section 5. Meetings shall be open to all members of the community; however, only members of the Committee may take part in the proceedings. Others may only take part in the meeting upon consent of the Chair prior to the meeting. While Committee meetings are generally open to the Revised 3-17-2015 UCSF Student Services Fee Advisory Committee Bylaws public, committee members should be aware that there are issues discussed within the scope of the committee, such as personnel and budget information that are confidential and should not be made public.

Section 6. Minutes, including the date, time, place, names of members present and absent, and an accurate summary of arguments and decisions made, shall be maintained and provided by the Committee to all members and any member of the University community upon request.

Section 7. Unless otherwise specified in this document, all meetings of the Committee will follow Robert’s Rules of Order.

Section 8. The Chair shall be present at general meetings and during voting. Half of the voting members plus one shall be considered a quorum and must be present to conduct a meeting with items to vote on. The Chair may hold an electronic vote if it is impractical to hold a physical meeting but a quorum per these Bylaws must still be obtained by receiving votes from at least half of the voting members plus one. Alternates will not be counted toward quorum, unless they are fulfilling a proxy role.

Section 9. The committee may directly invite administrators of units or programs whose budgets or budget requests are under study to provide additional information regarding a particular budget or budgetary request. Such organizational or unit administrators or affected students may also request and shall be granted an opportunity to present budget information and requests to the Committee.

Section 10. Program and unit directors shall be notified in writing at least one week in advance of the date of their appearance.

Section 11. Deliberation and closed sessions will not be open to the public except at the Chair’s discretion or by a two-thirds vote of the Committee.

Section 12. The Committee will adhere to the Standing Policies of the Council on Student Fees (CSF) adopted by the Committee when making recommendations. The primary focus of Student Services Fee revenue should not be on programs in the following areas; however, this does not preclude some Student Services Fee revenue from being used for these areas:

  • Enrollment/Registrar/Admissions Services o Financial Aid Administration
  • University Libraries
  • Alumni Affairs and Alumni Student Services
  • Planning and Budget Administrative Units
  • Instructionally-related Capital Improvements
  • Immediate Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs
  • Auxiliary Units (i.e. Housing and Parking Services)
  • Offices for Students with Disabilities
  • Intercollegiate Athletic Programs
  • New Student/Transfer Student Orientation Programs
  • Learning Skills Center (Revised 3-17-2015 UCSF Student Services Fee Advisory Committee Bylaws)
  • Educational Opportunity Programs
  • International Student Programs

Section 13. A sufficient reserve shall be established and maintained to ensure that the fund never goes into overdraft.

Section 14. The Committee will set aside money from the SSF for its own expenses and the payment of remunerations. These expenses may include but will not be limited to:

  • Travel, lodging and food for Committee members attending Council on Student Fees (CSF) meetings, Regents’ Meetings or any other student fee related meetings that may be necessary.
  • Hosting a Council on Student Fees (CSF) meeting at UCSF.
  • Buying materials or the cost of conducting student outreach and education.
  • Costs incurred from the Committee meetings and events.

Section 15. The Chair shall present the completed budget document to the Chancellor on or before the date fixed in the Chancellor's annual letter of appointment and charge.

Section 16. With the Chancellor’s approval, the Office of Budget and Resource Management will allocate the funds to the corresponding units.

Article VI: Amendments

These Bylaws shall be amended by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Committee members.