Student Affairs

Bylaws

Services & Activities Fees Committee
Guidelines and Operating Procedures

(Downloadable SAF Bylaws)

Section 1. Services and Activities Fees

  • Services and Activities Fees (SAF) are defined in RCW 28B.15.041 to mean “fees, other than tuition fees, charged to all students registering at the . . . state universities . . . The legislature also recognizes that Services and Activities Fees are paid by students for the express purpose of funding student activities and programs” of their particular institution.
  • “It is the intent of the legislature that the governing boards ensure that students have a strong voice in recommending budgets for Services and Activities Fees” (RCW 28B.15.045), and that Services and Activities Fees expenditures for programs devoted to political or economic philosophies shall result in the presentation of a spectrum of ideas (RCW 28.15.044).
  • The level of the Services and Activities Fees is recommended by the Services & Activities Fee Committee pursuant to RCW 28B.15.045 and approved by the Office of the Chancellor and authorized by the Board of Regents. Increases in the fee are subject to limitations set by the state legislature.
  • The Board of Regents shall adhere to the principle that the desires of the Services & Activities Fee Committee be given priority consideration for funding items that do not fall into the categories of pre-existing contractual obligations, bond covenant agreements, or stability of programs affecting students (RCW 28B.15.045(2)). Expenditures of Services and Activities Fees, however, are permitted for the construction, equipping, and betterment of buildings and facilities for student activities and services (RCW 28B.10.300).
  • The Services and Activities Fee long-term fund shall consist of all unallocated revenue (refer to sections 9 and 10) derived from the collection of Services and Activities Fees and accrued interest.
  • Services and Activities Fees and revenues generated by programs and activities funded by such fees shall be deposited and expended through the Office of Finance and Administration and will be reduced, unless otherwise stipulated by the Services & Activities Fee Committee, from the allocation awarded for that program or activity. The expenditure of Services and Activities Fees and associated revenues are subject to all applicable University policies, regulations, and procedures and to the Budget and Accounting Act of the State of Washington (RCW 43.88).
  • In addition to the regulations governing the use of Services and Activities Fees, provisions of the State Constitution prohibit the use of public funds (Services and Activities Fees are considered public funds) with regard to making gifts or loans of money or property.
  • With the exception of any funds needed for bond covenant obligations, once the budget for expending Service and Activities Fees is approved by the Board of Regents, funds shall not be shifted from funds allocated by the Services & Activities Fee Committee until the administration provides written justification to the Committee and the Regents, and the Regents and the Committee give their express approval. In the event of a fund-transfer dispute among the Committee, the administration, or the Regents, said dispute shall be resolved pursuant to Section 6 of these Guidelines (RCW 28B.15.045 (12)).

Section 2. Committee Membership

  • The intent of this Committee is to be comprised of at least seven (7) and no more than nine (9) voting members who are currently matriculated students at UW Bothell and not elected or appointed officers of the ASUWB government (with the exception the appointed ASUWB member as written in section 2 subsection D)
  • Ex-officio, non-voting members of the Committee should include a representative from Planning and Administration, and a representative from the Division of Student Affairs. The Chair of the Committee, with approval of the Chancellor, may appoint any other ex-officio member. The role of the representatives from Planning and Administration and the Division of Student Affairs is to provide information and orientation, background materials, and general support and guidance to the Committee.
  • Voting members will generally serve for one term, and each term is for a period of one year (from July 1 to June 30). A voting member may be reappointed for a second and third term, and up to two members may be allowed to serve for a fourth term; such reappointments are subject to the procedures described in Section 2.D. Majority of voting members should be selected before June 1st while leaving two open spots for incoming fall quarter students.  The Committee may replace any of its voting members only for reasons spelled out in these Guidelines and Operating Procedures. Members who resign during their term(s) will submit a written resignation to the Committee Chair. Vacancies will be replaced in the same manner as provided for new appointments and for the un-expired term of the original appointment.
  • ASUWB and the Division of Student Affairs are responsible for recruiting potential members, following an application process. ASUWB confirms members of the Services and Activities Fee Committee. The ASUWB president shall appoint, in accordance with ASUWB bylaws, a member of ASUWB to serve as one of the voting members. The Chancellor makes the final appointment for all members sans the ASUWB representative.
  • The chairperson of the Services and Activities Fee Committee shall be selected by the members of that Committee (RCW 28B.15.045 (3)) at its first business meeting. The composition of the committee would be comprised of:
    1. Chair: The chairperson shall call and preside over Committee meetings, prepare agendas, and serve as liaison to the broader University community where appropriate. It is ideal that the Chair attends weekly meetings with the Services and Activities Fee Committee Advisor.
    2. Vice Chair: Fulfill the duties of the Chairperson in the event of absence, resignations, or forfeiture of the SAF Chair and other duties assigned. Recommended that the Vice Chair attends weekly meeting with the Chair and the Advisor. Responsible for documenting weekly minutes and publishing to the SAF website.  Sharing drafts of minutes for SAF preview prior to the SAF meeting.
    3. The Chair and Vice Chair share responsibility to facilitate communication between students, faculty, and staff within the UW Bothell campus community.
  • Voting members are expected to attend all meetings unless excused in advance by the Chair, develop and maintain effective communication within the Committee and across the campus community, demonstrate a willingness to engage in constructive dialogue on any issue being considered by the Committee, actively participate in the deliberations of the Committee, and adhere to the rules and regulations governing the Committee. Members may request the resignation of a particular member if absences or conduct are deemed detrimental to the work of the Committee. A request for removing a member from the Committee requires a unanimous vote by all voting members of the Committee, except for the party whose resignation is being requested, and concurrence by the Chancellor. Grounds for removal would include 3 or more unexcused absences per academic quarter. Unexcused absences will be evaluated by the Chair on a case by case basis.
  • Minutes shall be taken at all meetings of the Committee and shall be publicly posted no later than five-business days after the meeting minutes are approved. Said minutes shall include the results of every action item taken by the Committee.

Section 3. Committee Meetings

  • Regular meetings shall be held at least three times per quarter (autumn, winter, and spring) and more frequently as needed. During the winter and spring quarter, meetings will be held at least two (2) to three (3) times per month. All business, other than those items appropriate for consideration during executive session, will be conducted during open session and in full compliance with the Open Public Meetings Act (RCW 42.30.110).
  • An agenda and a copy of all funding requests to be considered by the Committee shall be sent to members and be publicly posted at least three-business days in advance of all regular meetings and shall specify the time and place of the meeting as well as the business to be transacted.
  • A special meeting of the Committee may be called at any time by the chair, by a simple majority of the voting members of the Committee, or by the Chancellor by delivering personally or by mail written notice to each member of the Committee at least 24-hours before the time of such meeting as specified in the notice. The time and place shall be decided by simple majority and absence(s) may be excused by the chair.  The call and notice shall specify the time and place of the special meeting and the business to be transacted; final disposition shall not be taken on any other matter at such meetings.
  • The Committee may hold an executive session during a regular or special meeting only to consider matters permitted under the Open Public Meetings Act (RCW 42.30.110).
  • A quorum shall consist of a simple majority (50% + 1) of the current voting membership of the Committee. The chairperson shall be included as a voting member. Proxies shall not be considered for voting purposes.
  • All meetings shall be conducted in accordance with Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised. Deviations from such procedures will be at the discretion of the Chair with a simple-majority approval of the Committee present and voting.
  • Minutes shall be taken at all meetings of the Committee and shall be publicly posted no later than five-business days after the meeting minutes are approved. Said minutes shall include the results of every action item taken by the Committee.

Section 4: Budgeting Process

  • The Committee shall notify the campus community of the opportunity to submit requests for annual funding no later than December 1.
    1. The Committee shall establish the format and related deadlines for receiving budget requests in advance of notifying the campus community of the opportunity to apply for funding. At least 11- business days must be provided to members of the campus community for preparing their requests.
    2. Any member of the University of Washington Bothell campus community may submit a request for annual funding.
    3. The intent of the annual operating budget is to support on-going student activities, services, and programs. It is the intent that the funds deemed “long-term” shall be used to purchase capital (non-recurring) equipment, fixtures and furnishings, lease and/or bond obligations, and other related expenditures.
  • All proposals for annual funding must contain adequate information about how a program will serve currently enrolled UWB students as well as a detailed breakdown of proposed expenditures and anticipated revenues.
  • The Committee shall review all requests for support from the Services and Activities Fees, serving in an advisory capacity to the Chancellor and the Board of Regents.
  • At the Committee’s discretion, a proposal presentation may be required for those requests that lack sufficient detail or justification. The Committee should provide at least 10-business days’ notice of a proposal presentation to those individuals requested to be in attendance.
  • The Committee shall organize and publicize at least one open forum on its proposed annual funding allocations at least 8-business days prior to adopting a final budget.
  • The Chancellor may meet with the Committee at appropriate intervals in its budget formation process to respond to emergent ideas and issues and to apprise it of the general position of the Regents. The Chancellor may respond in writing to specific written proposals submitted by the Committee and take other actions as needed to assure that the lines of communication to the Committee remain open. The Chancellor may delegate these duties to another senior administrator.
  • The Committee shall send its final recommendations for an annual operating budget and long-term capital expenditures along with supporting documentation to the Chancellor on or about May 1 of each year. Within 18-business days after receiving the Committee’s annual budget recommendations, the Chancellor will provide a written response to the Committee. In formulating his or her response, the Chancellor may seek the view of other affected University groups and senior administrators as to the final recommendations of the Committee prior to making his or her recommendation to the Board of Regents. In the event the Chancellor disagrees with any of the Committee’s recommendations, the dispute resolution process described in Section 7 will be invoked.
  • At the time the Chancellor submits his or her proposed budget recommendations to the Board of Regents for the expenditure of services and activities fees, he or she shall also submit a copy of the Committee’s recommendations and supporting documents along with any response from the administration.
  • Members of the Service and Activities Fee Committee shall have an opportunity to address the Board of Regents before the Regent’s decisions on Services and Activities Fee budgets and dispute resolution actions are made (RCW 28B.15.045 (1)).
  • If, during the year, there are unanticipated non-recurring expenses, and if there are sufficient long-term funds to not only fund the expenditures but also other long-term commitments, the Committee can request that the necessary funds be transferred from the long-term account to the current operating account.

Section 5. Guidelines for Funding

  • Operating expenditures may be proposed in support of bona fide school-related, student led, curricular or extracurricular functions, activities, or programs participated in by UWB students in the furtherance of their education:
    1. Ordinary supplies, purchased services or equipment necessary to conduct the student function, activity, or program.
    2. Compensation is defined as salary and benefits for students or other University employees engaged in activities or services that directly involve or support currently enrolled UWB students.
    3. Necessary and reasonable fees, meals, lodging, and transportation expenses for entertainers, lecturers, guest speakers and others who provide personal services on a contractual basis.
    4. Trophies, plaques or medals, certificates of award or articles of personal property that are of nominal value ($50 or less) given to currently enrolled UWB students as recognition for participation, achievement, or excellence as part of the functions of student organizations, activities, or programs.
    5. Promotional Items are designed to promote any student organization, group, or funded project or service and are limited to a total value of $800 per year unless expressly stated otherwise by the Services and Activities Fee Committee at the time of allocation. Food and publicity (for specific events) are not considered a promotional item. Articles of clothing may be purchased with the guidance and approval of the Division of Student Affairs and the Club Council. Promotional items must be purchased in compliance with University policies and procedures.
    6. Cost of childcare for children of currently enrolled UW Bothell students who are participating in UW Bothell programs held on the UW Bothell campus.
    7. Travel Awards can only be granted to currently enrolled UW Bothell students and their advisor(s), who shall be UW faculty or staff, to participate in approved student functions, activities, or programs. Awards are limited to paying accommodations, transportation, registration fees, and incidental expenses as outlined by the SAF Committee. All travel must comply with established UW travel policies and procedures. Approved travel awards are reimbursed only when receipts are presented. Travel must benefit the broader student community by bringing back experiential and educational value upon return from the trip. Maximum reimbursement will be $500 per student and $2,500 per group unless expressly stated otherwise by the SAF Committee upon awarding of funds. UWB administration may place a hold on registration for any student who has an outstanding monetary debt due to SAF.
    8. Food and refreshments may be purchased for UW Bothell-student functions as outlined by the UW food policy, which includes award receptions, training, activities, or programs. Such funds are intended to support activities and programs open to the general student body. Funds are not intended to support routine meetings associated with student organizations and groups (student government, campus events board, SAF, etc.). Services and Activities Fees may not be used to purchase or serve alcoholic beverages.
  • Consistent with state law, any expenditure of Services and Activities Fees, including loans, is considered a prohibited gift when made for the direct benefit of private individuals or groups. State law also prohibits contributions of Services and Activities Fees or property to a political candidate or cause in connection with any local, state, or federal election.
  • Services and Activities Fees shall not be used as fundraising contributions; matching funds for fundraising purposes; or for any expenses related to a meetings, event, or activities of which the principal purpose is fundraising.
  • When making allocations, the Committee may place stipulations on the use of funds or recommend guidelines in the operations of a program, or both. The approved budget and stipulations, not the original request, shall be binding on the program.
  • Any program may move up to 5% of their annual budget between line items at the discretion of the Division of Student Affairs. Other changes to the approved budget and amounts above 5% require the approval of the Committee.

Section 6. General Criteria for Evaluating Funding Requests

  • Requests for funding are evaluated by:
    1. The degree to which the request supports a UWB student program or activity or provides a direct service that is of general interest to currently enrolled UWB students;   
    2. How well the proposed program, activity, or service is conceived and organized and, if previously funded, its track record for success;
    3. The likelihood of collaboration opportunities and co-partnerships with other sources or the probability that alternative funding (full or partial) is available from another source (e.g. permanent structures receiving university dollars);
    4. The number and diversity of currently enrolled UWB students likely to benefit from the program, activity, or service in proportion to the level of proposed funding; and
    5. All other criteria approved in advance by the Committee and the Chancellor or his or her designate.

Section 7. Budget Disputes

  • The Chancellor or their designee shall respond to the Committee recommendations in writing, outlining areas of agreement and potential areas of disagreement, allowing reasonable time for response, and clearly setting forth the next step in the review process. In the event of a dispute(s) involving the Committee recommendations, the administration shall meet with the Committee in a good faith effort to resolve such dispute(s) prior to submission of final recommendations to the Board of Regents (RCW 28B.15.045(5)).
  • If the dispute is not resolved within fourteen-calendar days, a dispute resolution committee shall be convened by the chair of the Committee within fourteen-calendar days (RCW 28B.15.045(6b)).
  • The dispute resolution committee shall be selected as follows: The administration shall appoint two nonvoting advisory members; the Board of Regents shall appoint three voting members; and the Committee chairperson shall appoint three student members of the Committee who will have a vote, and one student representing the Committee who will chair the dispute resolution committee and be nonvoting except in the case of a tie vote. The dispute resolution committee shall meet in good faith and settle by vote any and all disputes. (RCW 28B.15.045(7))
  • The Board of Regents may take action on those portions of the Services and Activities Fees budget not in dispute and shall consider the results, if any, of the dispute resolution committee and shall take action (RCW 28B.15.045(8)).

Section 8. Review of Budget Allocations

  • The Committee may choose to review the status of the current Annual Budget at any time during the year. The purpose of these reviews is to assess the status of awards and to have current budget information available for reference during future funding cycles.
  • The Committee may choose to conduct discretionary reviews of funded programs at any time during the year. Recipients of funding may be asked to provide the committee with spending records and projections inclusive of, but not limited to: budget request forms, receipts, and food request forms.
  • If the review finds that a program or organization is not spending in alignment with its allocation, is not in accordance with these Guidelines and Operating Procedures, or is failing to report information as stated in Section B, the Committee may freeze the remaining unexpended portion of that program or organization’s budget. Until the freeze is removed, no further expenditures may be incurred against the budget. A freeze may remain in effect until the Committee is satisfied with the program’s progress. Therefore, it is in the best interest of all organizations funded by the Services and Activities Fee to keep up to date records of their expenditures.

Section 9. Long Term Funds

  • The Long Term Fund will maintain 30% of the projected annual Services and Activities Fee revenue and any additional funds designated for future projects or expenditures.

Section 10. Excess Funds

  • Excess funds are defined as unallocated or unspent annual dollars in any given academic year.
  • A sufficient portion of the excess funds must be returned to the Long Term Fund to restore it to the 30% minimum annual projection should it fall below that level. 
  • Additional excess funds collected over the course of the academic year may be allocated in the annual process in the following academic year at the discretion of the Committee. 

Section 11. Budget Spending and Reconciliation

  • Groups receiving SAF funds are responsible for following all guidelines, procedures and reconciliation of funds as set forth by the SAF Committee, Office of Student Affairs and University policy and procedures.

Section 12. Compensation

  • 0.25% of the SAF annual budget will be withheld for operational costs of the committee.Operational costs include printing, supplies, marketing, and compensation for the Chair and Vice Chair.
  • The Chair and Vice Chair will be compensated quarterly via student fixed fee at an amount to be determined by the prior year’s committee and approved by the Chancellor.

Notes:

  • The SAF Guidelines and Operating Procedures were originally authorized by the Board of Regents on September 27, 1991 and later amended by the Regents on June 12, 1998.
  • Revised SAF Guidelines and Operating Procedures were adopted by the SAF Committee on April 8, 2005, approved by the Chancellor on May 22, 2005, and authorized by the Board of Regents on June 9, 2005.
  • Further revisions to the SAF Guidelines and Operating Procedures were adopted by the SAF Committee on April 7, 2006, approved by the Chancellor on May 22, 2006, and authorized by the Board of Regents on June 8, 2006.
  • Additional revisions to the SAF Guidelines and Operating Procedures were adopted by the SAF Committee on April 27, 2007, approved by the Chancellor on May 1, 2007, and authorized by the Board of Regents on June 7, 2007.
  • Additional revisions to the SAF Guidelines and Operating Procedures were adopted by the SAF Committee on April 11, 2008, approved by the Chancellor on April 14, 2008, and authorized by the Board of Regents on June 12, 2008.
  • Additional revisions to the SAF Guidelines and Operating Procedures were adopted by the SAF Committee on May 23, 2011, approved by the Chancellor on May 23, 2011, and authorized by the Board of Regents on June 9, 2011.
  • Additional revisions to the SAF Guidelines and Operating Procedures were adopted by the SAF Committee on May 18, 2012, approved by the Chancellor on May 23, 2012, and authorized by the Board of Regents on June 7, 2012
  • Additional revisions to the SAF Guidelines and Operating Procedures were adopted by the SAF Committee on May 16, 2014, approved by the Chancellor on May 28, 2014, and authorized by the Board of Regents on June 12, 2014
  • Additional revisions to the SAF Guidelines and Operating Procedures were adopted by the SAF Committee on May 18, 2018, approved by the Chancellor on May 22, 2018, and authorized by the Board of Regents on June 8, 2018.
  • Additional revisions to the SAF Guidelines and Operating Procedures were adopted by the SAF Committee on May 8, 2020, approved by the Chancellor on May 23, 2020, and authorized by the Board of Regents on June 11, 2020.
  • Additional revisions to the SAF Guidelines and Operating Procedures were adopted by the SAF Committee on May 7, 2021, approved by the Chancellor on May 25, 2021, and authorized by the Board of Regents on June 10, 2021.