Requires the biennial conducting of a referendum of the student body at each college and university of the state university of New York and city university of New York, and at each community college as to whether the student activity fees shall be mandatory or voluntary; requires the funds from such fees to be disbursed in a fair and neutral manner without regard to the viewpoints of organizations requesting funding; requires the posting of a notice of the purpose of such fee and the mission statements of all organizations receiving disbursements from such fees.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
1835
2015-2016 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 13, 2015
___________
Introduced by M. of A. GUNTHER, CRESPO, HOOPER -- Multi-Sponsored by --
M. of A. PERRY, RIVERA, ROBINSON -- read once and referred to the
Committee on Higher Education
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to student activity fees
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Section 355 of the education law is amended by adding a new
2 subdivision 20 to read as follows:
3 20. Student activity fee. a. Disclosure. Every college or universi-
4 ty of the state university shall conspicuously post on a publicly acces-
5 sible website a notice regarding the student activity fee which shall
6 include, but not be limited to: (1) the purpose of such fee, (2) the
7 rules and procedures for the allocation of funds from such fee, (3) the
8 name and mission statement of each student organization that received
9 funding from such fee during the previous academic year, (4) the
10 requirement that all funding decisions be made in an open forum where
11 all students are given the opportunity to comment, (5) that all funding
12 decisions shall be made in a fair and neutral manner without regard to
13 the viewpoints of the organization requesting funding, and (6) that a
14 referendum shall be held at least every two years the purpose of which
15 is to determine whether the student activity fee shall be mandatory or
16 voluntary.
17 b. Referendum. Prior to the close of the first full academic year
18 immediately following the effective date of this subdivision, and at
19 least once every two years thereafter, the student body at each college
20 or university operated by the state university shall determine by refer-
21 endum whether student activity programs shall be supported by either
22 voluntary or mandatory student fees. Such referendum shall be conducted
23 on campus at an easily accessible polling place or places and at such
24 time as shall be convenient for the greatest number of students. Under
25 no circumstances shall funding for any particular organization be deter-
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD01570-01-5
A. 1835 2
1 mined by referendum. Notice of such referendum shall be conspicuously
2 posted at several locations on campus for not less than fifteen days
3 prior to the date on which the referendum shall be conducted. Such
4 notice shall include, but not be limited to, the date on which the
5 referendum will be held, the times during which polling places will be
6 open, the location of all polling places, and the question or questions
7 before the student body.
8 c. Eligibility for funding. Any group that is officially recognized by
9 the representative student organization in accordance with procedures
10 established on each campus shall be eligible to receive funding from
11 student activity fee proceeds.
12 d. Disbursement of funds. Proceeds of the student activity fee shall
13 be disbursed by the representative student organization in a fair and
14 neutral manner without regard to the viewpoints of the organization
15 requesting funding. All funding decisions shall be made in an open forum
16 where members of the student body are given an opportunity to comment.
17 e. Appeal of funding decisions. The representative student organiza-
18 tion on each campus shall create an appeals process for registered
19 student organizations complaining of viewpoint discrimination in the
20 funding process. After exhausting student review, an aggrieved regis-
21 tered student organization may appeal to the chief administrative offi-
22 cer of each campus, or his or her designee.
23 § 2. Section 6215 of the education law is amended by adding a new
24 subdivision 4 to read as follows:
25 4. Student activity fee. a. Disclosure. Every college or university
26 of the city university shall conspicuously post on a publicly accessible
27 website a notice regarding the student activity fee which shall include,
28 but not be limited to: (1) the purpose of such fee, (2) the rules and
29 procedures for the allocation of funds from such fee, (3) the name and
30 mission statement of each student organization that received funding
31 from such fee during the previous academic year, (4) the requirement
32 that all funding decisions be made in an open forum where all students
33 are given the opportunity to comment, (5) that all funding decisions
34 shall be made in a fair and neutral manner without regard to the view-
35 points of the organization requesting funding, and (6) that a referendum
36 shall be held at least every two years the purpose of which is to deter-
37 mine whether the student activity fee shall be mandatory or voluntary.
38 b. Referendum. Prior to the close of the first full academic year
39 immediately following the effective date of this subdivision, and at
40 least once every two years thereafter, the student body at each college
41 or university operated by the city university shall determine by refer-
42 endum whether student activity programs shall be supported by either
43 voluntary or mandatory student fees. Such referendum shall be conducted
44 on campus at an easily accessible polling place or places and at such
45 time as shall be convenient for the greatest number of students. Under
46 no circumstances shall funding for any particular organization be deter-
47 mined by referendum. Notice of such referendum shall be conspicuously
48 posted at several locations on campus for not less than fifteen days
49 prior to the date on which the referendum shall be conducted. Such
50 notice shall include, but not be limited to, the date on which the
51 referendum will be held, the times during which polling places will be
52 open, the location of all polling places, and the question or questions
53 before the student body.
54 c. Eligibility for funding. Any group that is officially recognized by
55 the representative student organization in accordance with procedures
A. 1835 3
1 established on each campus shall be eligible to receive funding from
2 student activity fee proceeds.
3 d. Disbursement of funds. Proceeds of the student activity fee shall
4 be disbursed by the representative student organization in a fair and
5 neutral manner without regard to the viewpoints of the organization
6 requesting funding. All funding decisions shall be made in an open forum
7 where members of the student body are given an opportunity to comment.
8 e. Appeal of funding decisions. The representative student organiza-
9 tion on each campus shall create an appeals process for registered
10 student organizations complaining of viewpoint discrimination in the
11 funding process. After exhausting student review, an aggrieved regis-
12 tered student organization may appeal to the chief administrative offi-
13 cer of each campus, or his or her designee.
14 § 3. Section 6304 of the education law is amended by adding a new
15 subdivision 1-a to read as follows:
16 1-a. Student activity fee. a. Disclosure. Every community college
17 shall conspicuously post on a publicly accessible website a notice
18 regarding the student activity fee which shall include, but not be
19 limited to: (1) the purpose of such fee, (2) the rules and procedures
20 for the allocation of funds from such fee, (3) the name and mission
21 statement of each student organization that received funding from such
22 fee during the previous academic year, (4) the requirement that all
23 funding decisions be made in an open forum where all students are given
24 the opportunity to comment, (5) that all funding decisions shall be made
25 in a fair and neutral manner without regard to the viewpoints of the
26 organization requesting funding, and (6) that a referendum shall be held
27 at least every two years the purpose of which is to determine whether
28 the student activity fee shall be mandatory or voluntary.
29 b. Referendum. Prior to the close of the first full academic year
30 immediately following the effective date of this subdivision, and at
31 least once every two years thereafter, the student body at each communi-
32 ty college shall determine by referendum whether student activity
33 programs shall be supported by either voluntary or mandatory student
34 fees. Such referendum shall be conducted on campus at an easily accessi-
35 ble polling place or places and at such time as shall be convenient for
36 the greatest number of students. Under no circumstances shall funding
37 for any particular organization be determined by referendum. Notice of
38 such referendum shall be conspicuously posted at several locations on
39 campus for not less than fifteen days prior to the date on which the
40 referendum shall be conducted. Such notice shall include, but not be
41 limited to, the date on which the referendum will be held, the times
42 during which polling places will be open, the location of all polling
43 places, and the question or questions before the student body.
44 c. Eligibility for funding. Any group that is officially recognized by
45 the representative student organization in accordance with procedures
46 established on each campus shall be eligible to receive funding from
47 student activity fee proceeds.
48 d. Disbursement of funds. Proceeds of the student activity fee shall
49 be disbursed by the representative student organization in a fair and
50 neutral manner without regard to the viewpoints of the organization
51 requesting funding. All funding decisions shall be made in an open forum
52 where members of the student body are given an opportunity to comment.
53 e. Appeal of funding decisions. The representative student organiza-
54 tion on each campus shall create an appeals process for registered
55 student organizations complaining of viewpoint discrimination in the
56 funding process. After exhausting student review, an aggrieved regis-
A. 1835 4
1 tered student organization may appeal to the chief administrative offi-
2 cer of each campus, or his or her designee.
3 § 4. This act shall take effect on the first of August next succeeding
4 the date on which it shall have become a law.
