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SAFAB Reserve Budget Process

Student Activity Fee Reserve Budget Process

Boise State University
Student Activity Fee Reserve Budget
Process for Request, Review, and Allocation

The Student Activity Fee Advisory Board (SAFAB) annually reviews and makes recommendations on the allocation of student activity fees at Boise State University. In addition to this responsibility, the Board manages a reserve budget first introduced in FY19. The reserve is made possible through a 3% increase made in FY18 and a surplus in student activity fee revenue generated from higher than anticipated student enrollment numbers for the university. This revenue may be allocated by the SAFAB to university departments, student projects, or group collaborations in the form of supplemental funding for one-time special projects, programs, and initiatives.

Requesting Allocations from the Reserve Budget:

The following criteria will be used by the SAFAB to determine who is eligible to request funds from the reserve budget.

  1. Allocation requests may be submitted to the SAFAB by university departments and students. An electronic form is made available for requests on the Associated Students of Boise State University website.
  2. Funds within the reserve budget are to be considered supplemental funding, meaning they will only be allocated towards:

    a. one-time special projects

    b. pilot programs and initiatives that are outside of a department’s normal operating budget

    c. administrative budgetary items that have an impact on the student experience

    d. addressing budgetary shortfalls for departments in a year of enrollment decline
  3. Students can also receive funds to be allocated towards one-time special projects, pilot programs, programs, and initiatives that fit the definition of the student activity fee.
  4. The SAFAB may establish a cap on the amount that departments may request each year to be communicated out to departments when the allocation request process opens. The cap amount may vary depending on the revenue levels that are within the reserve.
  5. The designated electronic form will remain open year-round. Allocation requests will be reviewed on a quarterly basis.
  6. Departments submitting requests will be invited to give a presentation to the SAFAB on their allocation request. Presentations will be considered public record and students are invited to provide testimony for a request.
  7. The SAFAB will discuss and vote upon requests after hearing a department’s presentation within two weeks. The Board may elect to do this as a closed-door meeting. Voting records shall be made public within 3 business days of the SAFAB vote.
  8. Allocation requests may also be submitted for campus emergency and crisis situations. These will be reviewed in an expedited fashion given the nature of such crises.
  9. Decisions on allocation requests will be communicated to departments placing requests within 72 business hours after the SAFAB makes a decision.

Allocation Criteria for the Reserve Budget:

The following criteria will be used by SAFAB in determining the appropriate distribution of Student Fee funds:

  1. Allocations from the reserve may be requested for one-time special projects or for pilot programs that are outside of a department’s normal operating budget.
  2. Allocation requests will also be considered for administrative budgetary items that have an impact on the student experience and meet the definition of a student activity fee.
  3. Academic department requests must have the endorsement of a Dean or an Associate Dean. Non-academic department requests must have the endorsement of a Vice President or Associate Vice President.
  4. Student requests must be sponsored by a department. The sponsoring department will be responsible for taking on any administrative workload and tasks associated with the funding.
  5. Requests must align with the definition of a student activity fee as provided by the State Board of Education.
  6. Requests will be considered for the extent to which the funded project, program, or initiative:

    a. Contributes to the campus experience of a diverse and growing student body.

    b. Supports the educational, social, recreational, developmental, and/or cultural needs of students.

    c. Fosters a vibrant campus experience, furthers, the university’s mission, and/or meets university learning outcomes.
  7. Requests may not (directly or indirectly) support programs, activities or services associated with an academic course or for which a student receives academic credit.
  8. All requests will be reviewed by the SAFAB on a quarterly basis.
  9. Requests will not receive favorable or unfavorable treatment in the SAFAB’s review and allocation process because they advocate a particular opinion. Voting members of the SAFAB will receive annual training on maintaining viewpoint neutrality in allocation decisions. All requests for funding will be evaluated using the criteria and procedural requirements that have been outlined in this document.

Electronic Form for SAFAB Reserve Budget Process

Electronic Form for SAFAB Reserve Budget Process

SAFAB Quarterly Dates for Reserve Process

First quarter, Q1: February 1 to February 26
Q1 Hearing Date: Week of March 1, 2021

Second quarter, Q2: March 1 to June 30
Q2 Hearing Date: Week of July 5, 2021

Third quarter, Q3: July 1 to September 30
Q3 Hearing Date: Week of October 4, 2021

Fourth quarter, Q4: October 1 to December 31
Q4 Hearing Date: Week of January 10, 2022