The Office of Student Life is asking for the reaffirmation of its $1.75 quarterly student lock- in fee in the upcoming Spring Election.
Each undergraduate student currently pays the $1.75 Campus Elections Commission lock- in fee every quarter, in addition to a separate Associated Students lock-in of $2. Of the com- bined $3.75, $3.25 of the fee is absorbed directly by OSL with the remaining $0.50 allotted to financial aid.
OSL funding supports campus activities, student support services and organizations, including student clubs and the Greek system. Student Life is also responsible for sending emails to the student body, with links to leader- ship internships and other resources. OSL Associate Director Miles Ashlock said the fee supports the infrastructure of 350 cam- pus organizations.
“We are not asking for a new fee, but to continue it,” Ashlock said. “Students are paying a fee, but we are providing the right services and value for their money.”
The fee would be up for reaffirmation again in 2015.
The $1.75 fee directly funds one full-time staff position, supports career staff salaries and aids programming for student services. The fee would allow OSL to maintain and improve the annual student leadership conference, student leadership retreat and leadership workshops.
Arianna Nelson, a third-year biopsychology major, said UCSB’s Leadership Development Program trains the student body for the workforce.
“The fee is a small price to pay for creating more opportunities for UCSB students, espe- cially those that involve improving leadership,” Nelson said.
Furthermore, Ashlock said the funding would allow OSL to implement improvements to its work management system — an online network that showcases student organizations and streamlines event planning.
“A lot is at stake,” Ashlock said. According to Ashlock, the Office of First- Year Programs — which aids freshmen, trans- fers and graduate students during their tran- sitional stage at UCSB — and After Dark — which hosts alternative, alcohol-free events such as movie screenings and improvisational comedy shows — would also become financially crippled if the fees were not reapproved.
A minimum 20 percent voter turnout is required for the election to be considered valid. A reaffirmation fails if 60 percent plus one vote against the measure. Students can vote via GOLD from April 18 to 21.