Activity fee rises with the times

Growth is nothing new to Austin and Austin Community College is no exception. As ACC continues to expand including a great share of Central Texas, the Student Activity Fee Advisory Council [SAFAC] along with Student Government, sought an increase in the Student Activity Fee. ACC's Board of Trustees approved the measure, increasing the Student Activity Fee from $1 to $2per credit hour. The increase is intended to fund student activities on all seven Austin-area campuses equally ,providing enough money to hire new staff and fund new and existing programs.

The primary reason for the increase, said Cheryl Richard, Student Life Director, was the addition of the South Austin Campus , and its 2,300 students. "Until this summer, we didn't know how we would fund the addition of the seventh campus - SAC [South Austin Campus]," said Richard. "[The increase] has allowed us to bring on a new Student Life Coordinator for SAC."

The Office of Student Life anticipates that it will collect $1 million as a result of the fee increase. The last increase of the Student Activity Fee was in 2003, from a flat rate of $3 per student to the previous rate of $1 per credit hour. The Student Activity Fee is only applicable to for-credit classes. The fee cannot exceed $24 per student. The fee does not apply to remedial courses or Continuing Education