Every two years at the University at Albany students have the option of waiving their student activity fee.

A referendum is voted on by the student body, and if waived, the student activity fee is no longer mandatory. The fee stands at a price of $100 for students taking 12 or more credits, $75 for 9-11 credits, and $50 for 6-8 credits.

In 2015, the referendum gained enough votes to pass. The Student Association was allowed to redistribute the referendum because of an error on the ballot. On the second vote the referendum failed, and the mandatory student activity fee was upheld.

In ordinance with senate bylaws, the Board of Finance is urged to make a contingency budget to show the effect of the referendum passing. The Student Association Senate must then approve that budget.

In the budget passed by the senate, notable departments inside SA are left without any money whatsoever. Included is the SA Senate itself, Gender and Sexuality Concerns Office, the Programming Office, and the Dipikill Outreach & Environmental Sustainability.

“It would be doomsday if the fee was voted voluntary,” Vice Chair Austin Ostro said. “We would just not be able to operate at all… that’s the reality.”

Ostro said if the fee was deemed voluntary, that only students who paid the fee could be part of a student group. “With a voluntary fee, people are going to have to make a decision ‘do I really want to pay $220 to join this club?’ I don’t think that most people would say yes.”

Ostro estimated that around 1400 students would pay the fee if it became voluntary, but says that number is a “very liberal” estimate.

“We are ahead of the game on this,” Head Chair Jarrett Altilio said, “this is way more than anyone has ever done before.” Altilio said that the last referendum had more votes than any SA votes ever.

Altilio and Ostro both said they were on a task force that included other student group leaders. Ostro said that it key for student groups on campus to campaign for keeping the student activity fee. “We’re going to have to give them all the information they need… so that they know the consequences if it’s voluntary, and the benefits if it’s mandatory.”

Below is the Contingency Budget that was passed by the SA senate: