COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY
FY2024 Institutional Student Fee Plan and Policy

INTRODUCTION AND PURPOSE

The purpose of this Institutional Student Fee Plan and Policy (Plan) is to provide information in accordance with C.R.S. § 23-5-119.5 and Colorado Commission on Higher Education Policy VI-C requiring the Board to adopt a Fee Policy and an Institutional Student Fee Plan.

1.  Definitions:

As used in this Plan, we define the following terms:

Academic Course: A program of instruction, including, but not limited to educational, vocational, occupational, technical, music, and physical education courses. 

Academic Facilities Construction: Academic Facilities are those facilities that are core to the role and mission of the institution and may include, but are not limited to space dedicated to instructional, student services, or administration. As defined in CCHE Policy Section VI-C-1.50, it includes buildings and site improvements, or specific space within a multi-use building (including utilities and transportation infrastructure) as defined in C.R.S. § 24-75-301.  The determination of academic facility or space is based on the function/purpose of the building or space. In a multipurpose building, the space determination is based on the primary usage of space during the regular academic year. 

Alternative Transportation Fee Advisory Board (ATFAB): The ATFAB is comprised of student members and non-student ex officio members that provide guidance and advice to the President of the Associated Students of Colorado State University (ASCSU) and the University administration regarding alternative transportation projects and initiatives and to recommend the allocation of ATFAB fees for new and improved transportation facilities and programs. ATFAB is governed by the ATFAB Bylaws, subject to the approval of the Student Fee Review Board (SFRB). 

Auxiliary Facility: As defined in C.R.S. § 23-5-101.5(2)(a), any student or faculty housing facility; student or faculty dining facility; recreational facility; student activities facility; child care facility; continuing education facility or activity; intercollegiate athletic facility or activity; health facility; alternative or renewable energy producing facility, including but not limited to a solar, wind, biomass, geothermal, or hydroelectric facility; college store; or student or faculty parking facility; or any similar facility or activity that has been historically managed, and was accounted for in institutional financial statements prepared for the fiscal year 1991-92 as a self-supporting facility or activity, including any additions to and any extensions or replacements of any such facility on any campus under the control of the governing board managing such facility. “Auxiliary facility” shall also mean any activity undertaken by the governing board of any state-supported institution of higher education as an eligible lender participant. 

Board for Student Organization Funding (BSOF): The body whose primary purpose is to allocate a portion of the ASCSU Student Fee approved by the Board of Governors of the Colorado State University System to student organizations for educational and cultural programming and to administer relevant provisions of Article VIII of the ASCSU Constitution. The BSOF Bylaws govern the BSOF. 

Charge for Service: A charge assessed to certain students to cover the costs of delivering specific services to those students. Charges for service are not mandatory for all students. Charges for service are, however, required for students who meet the criteria for which the charge is assessed. These may include, but are not limited to: application charges, add/drop charges, fines and penalties, late charges, orientation charges, college technology charges and matriculation fees, parking permit charges and citations, and charges for services provided to online students. Charges for service are not Student Fees and do not require legislative spending authority appropriation or student approval. 

Contractually Based Fee: Any Fee that is (a) required to satisfy any existing contractual obligation or (b) related to bonds or other debt obligations issued or incurred before July 30, 1997. (Note: Fees related to bonds issued on or after July 30, 1997, are User Fees.) 

Fee(s) or Student Fee(s): Fees are any amount other than tuition that is assessed to all individual students as a condition of enrollment in the University. Fees may be used for academic and non-academic purposes, including, but not limited to:

• Funding registered student organizations and student government;
• Construction, remodeling, maintenance, and improvement of student centers, recreational facilities, and other projects and improvements for which the University Facility Fee is approved;
• Intercollegiate and Intramural Athletics;
• Student Health Services;
• Technology and infrastructure for which the University Technology Fee is approved;
• Mass Transit; and
• Contractually Based Fees (including bond payments for which Student Fees have been pledged). 

“Student Fee” excludes tuition, Special Course Fees, User Fees, and Charges for Services. Student Fees may be subject to certain waivers, exceptions, or prorations. 

Special Course or Program Fee(s): These are mandatory fees that a student must pay to enroll in a specific course or program. Examples of Special Course Fees are lab fees, music program fees, art fees, materials fees, and telecourse fees. Special Course Fees are established in accordance with the Special Course Fee Manual and are not Student Fees. Revenue generated from Special Course or Program Fees cannot be used to fund academic facilities’ construction. 

Student Fee Review Board (SFRB): A body comprised of student members and non-student, ex officio members that exists for purposes of providing efficient, equitable, and consistent review of Student Fees and the services for which Fees are assessed. SFRB makes recommendations to the Board of Governors regarding Fee proposals, new Fee-funded areas, and changes to existing Student Fees. The SFRB Bylaws and the ASCSU Constitution govern SFRB. Alternative Transportation Fee Advisory Board (ATFAB), University Facility Fee Advisory Board (UFFAB), and University Technology Fee Advisory Board (UTFAB)- recommended fees must be approved by SFRB. All Student Fee-funded areas make recommendations to SFRB except as specified in this Plan. 

University Facility Fee: A Student Fee approved by ASCSU, including Senate Bill 3540 (2005), to be used for capital improvements at CSU. 

University Facility Fee Advisory Board (UFFAB): A body comprised of student members and nonstudent, ex officio members, that provides guidance concerning the University Facility Fee to the Vice President for University Operations (VPUO) or their designees regarding project proposals for allocations of the University Facility Fee, and to ensure that all allocations of the University Facility Fee will be used to provide new facilities or to improve current facilities that directly benefit the students of Colorado State University. UFFAB is governed by the UFFAB Bylaws, subject to the approval of SFRB. 

University Technology Fee: A Student Fee approved by ASCSU and the Board of Governors beginning in 2003 to be used to enhance online student services, replace computers, and build and maintain the physical improvements needed for computer infrastructure. 

University Technology Fee Advisory Board (UTFAB): A body comprised of student members and non-student ex officio members that provides guidance and advice in the implementation and application of technology at Colorado State University; reviews all allocation requests of the University Technology Fee; and ensures that all allocations will be used to provide technology that has the potential to benefit as many Colorado State University students as possible. The UTFAB Bylaws, subject to the approval of SFRB govern UTFAB. 

User Fee(s): A fee collected for purposes of paying any bonds or other debt obligations issued or incurred on or after July 1, 1997, on behalf of an auxiliary facility, from persons using the auxiliary facility, which includes the amount necessary for repayment of the bonds or other debt obligations and any amount needed for the operation and maintenance of the auxiliary facility. User Fees do not require legislative spending authority appropriation and do not require student approval. Examples of User Fees include debt service associated with residence halls, parking facilities, and Fees paid by non-campus users for use of university facilities. 

2.  Types and purposes of Student Fees collected by the institution:

The institution collects Student Fees, User Fees, Special Course and Program Fees, and Charges for Services, as defined above. Student Fees are used for academic and non-academic purposes, including but not limited to funding registered student organizations and the student government; construction, remodeling, maintenance and improvement of student centers, recreational facilities, and other projects and improvements for which the Fee is approved; intercollegiate and intramural athletics; student health services; technology for which the University Technology Fee is approved; mass transit; and Contractually Based Fees (including bond payments for which Fees have been pledged). The allocation of Student Fees to the funding of registered student organizations or any other student speech shall be made in a viewpoint-neutral manner.

3.  Procedures for establishing, reviewing, changing and discontinuing Student Fees:

1. The Student Fees to be assessed are approved annually by the Board of Governors of the Colorado State University System. The President of the University annually recommends to the Board of Governors the specific Fees and the allocation of Fee revenues, which may be approved, rejected, or modified at the Board’s discretion. In addition, without restricting the President’s discretion, the Bylaws of the Student Fee Review Board (SFRB) set forth the meaningful processes by which student input on Student Fees is provided to the University administration before the President makes a recommendation to the Board of Governors. The budget assumptions on which to base the requests are set by the CSU President, consistent with the institution’s annual budget process.
2. Except for Contractually Based Fees and/or to provide for mandatory cost increases, all new Student Fees, and all increases in existing Student Fees, shall be subject to the Bylaws of the SFRB. Mandatory costs comprise salaries and benefits, debt service, utilities and general and administrative fees assigned by the University. All requests for new Student Fees, other than Contractually Based Fees, shall be initiated through the established SFRB process. This process shall require the SFRB to make recommendations regarding Student Fees in accordance with the SFRB Bylaws and ASCSU Constitution.
3. Each academic year, an SFRB member will be assigned as a liaison to one or more programs or activities funded by existing Student Fees. The SFRB liaison will work with the Director of the program or activity throughout the academic year to learn about the program and its budget and to review any proposed change or increase to the Fees supporting that program. The Director of the Fee-funded area and the assigned liaison will present the budget and all relevant information for the next fiscal year. The SFRB liaison for a Fee area may advise the SFRB but shall not cast a vote on Fees for that area. University leadership may also present information to the SFRB regarding institutional priorities and goals. The SFRB shall review and consider all information presented, including student input/feedback received by each SFRB member, following the specific processes and procedures detailed in the Bylaws of the SFRB. All recommendations for new Fee-funded areas shall be submitted to the SFRB in the form of a proposal as detailed in the SFRB Bylaws. The proposal shall demonstrate that the Fee request is student-sponsored, that sufficient student need for the Fee exists, and that the Fee will be allocated in partnership with a specific University department. Final approval of a new Student Fee rests with the Board of Governors.
4. After the SFRB has reviewed the information presented by the liaisons, Directors, and University leadership, and evaluated any requests for new Fees, Fee increases or decreases, and Fee extensions, the SFRB forms recommendations and presents them to the ASCSU Senate for a vote of confidence. The President’s leadership team (such as the President’s Cabinet or Operations Team, at the President’s discretion) then reviews the recommendations and forwards them to the President, who then forwards them to the Board of Governors for final action, along with any additional or different institutional recommendations. The CSU student representative to the Board of Governors attends the meeting at which the Board reviews and approves the Student Fees.
5. The Board of Governors annually reviews and approves Student Fees. Its review and approval process includes any new Student Fees and increases in existing Fees. Notwithstanding any other provision in the Institutional Fee Plan, or any other governing procedure, rule, bylaw, or policy, the Board of Governors shall provide to students at least thirty (30) days’ advance notice of a new Fee assessment or Fee increase, which notice, at a minimum, specifies:
   1. The amount of the new Fee or of the Fee increase;
   2. The reason for the new Fee or Fee increase;
   3. The purpose for which the institution will use the revenues received from the new Fee or Fee increase; and
   4. Whether the new Fee or Fee increase is temporary or permanent and, if temporary, the expected date on which the new Fee or Fee increase will be discontinued. 

A decision by the Board of Governors regarding a Fee shall be final and incontestable either on the thirtieth day after final action by the Board of Governors or on the date on which any evidence of indebtedness or other obligation payable from the Fee revenues is issued or incurred by the Board, whichever is earlier.

4.  Procedures by which students may contest the imposition or amount of a Fee and a process for resolving disputes regarding Fees:

The process described above includes direct, meaningful student input on all Fees. If a student wishes to lodge a complaint about a specific Student Fee (other than a Contractually Based Fee), the student submits a complaint or request for a Fee waiver to the Vice President for Student Affairs, who may hear the appeal or appoint an appeal officer to hear the appeal and resolve the issues. The decision of the VPSA or appeal officer is final.

5.  Plan for addressing reserve fund balances:

Fee-funded areas should maintain a fund balance between ten and twenty percent (10-20%) of annual revenues, dependent upon contractual and other financial obligations. Auxiliary Fee-funded areas should maintain a similar fund balance along with separate reserves in support of the anticipated capital expenditures and facility master plan.

REFERENCES

Board of Governors Resolution

Board of Governors Policy on Student Fees