Students will again have the chance to vote on a potential increase in the Student Activity Fee in April of 2024.
The Student Activity Fee was last voted on in 2022 and did not pass in a tied vote. The Associated Students of NMU (ASNMU), NMU’s student government, approved to add the student activity fee raise referendum to the 2024 ballot last month.
The fee is currently $37.12 per semester and helps to fund student groups across campus, including Northern Arts and Entertainment (NAE), Campus Cinema, Northern Michigan Artist Discovery (NOMAD), Special Events Committee and more.
The fund supports events such as the NAE organized Hippocampus concert in March. An increase in the fee would allocate more funding to these groups and, consequently, provide students with more events.
“From talking to students, they seem to want more popular artists to play concerts. They seem to want more popular speakers that they know about,” said ASNMU President Gwen Feamster. “With the fee that we have now, we can not necessarily afford that. So, to get bigger names, we have to have the money for those big names, and that comes from the Student Activity Fee.”
It has yet to be determined how much this increase would be, but as April and the voting date draws near, ASNMU will make that information available to students.
According to Feamster, Northern students currently pay a significualty smaller activity fee compared to similar fees at other universities.
“Michigan Tech has a fall and spring activity fee that is $60, in addition to an ‘Experience Tech’ fee, which is $99 per semester. They have two, and both add up to about three times as much as ours,” Feamster said.
Lake Superior State University also has a fee for student activities that is more than Northern’s.
While a fee increase is not guaranteed, a passing vote from the student body would allow for the opportunity to raise the fee. If the fee has the potential to be increased, Feamster has some goals for the allocation of the additional funds.
“I think it would be really cool to get bigger names on campus. I think students want more of that, especially as Northern is on the rise,” Feamster said. “I am hoping it grows student life.”
If the fee does get raised, it would still be included in the Tuition and Fees calculations provided by Northern.
“When Northern gives you the price tag of 25k, that is for room and board, tuition and fees. It is just like if you are paying your recreation fee, which is automatically added to your account,” Feamster said.
Feamster wanted to ensure that students are well aware of this and that ASNMU is completely transparent with this process and how much a potential fee increase could be if the ballot is passed.
“All of our meetings are open and are typically always on the Hub. If anyone has any thoughts on it, they are more than welcome to come speak their mind. I am always open for questions,” Feamster said.
Feamster also wanted to emphasize that this fully depends on students to vote. Students will receive a link in their emails in April and are highly encouraged to vote on this ballot.
For more information, visit the ASNMU website.
