University Park students may see a $17 increase per semester in their student activity fee this fall.

The student activity fee board, which is responsible for recommending the fee amount to Penn State President Graham Spanier each year, held its final meeting of the year Friday to discuss the prospective increase.

The board did not officially vote on what recommendation would be made to Spanier because not enough board members were present at the meeting.

However, Vice President for Student Affairs Vicky Triponey said the board's preferred course of action would be to recommend that the fee increase from $52 per semester to $69 per semester.

The student activity fee currently accounts for 75 percent of the University Park Allocations Committee's (UPAC)

funds. UPAC, in turn, allocates those funds to student groups for programs, activities and initiatives.

"The signals from our students are that we need more money in the pot to provide a quality experience outside the classroom," Triponey said.

Triponey indicated she had been discussing an increase up to $80 per semester with Spanier and Senior Vice President for Finance and Business Gary Schultz.

However, she said, they had seemed skeptical.

"They didn't say, 'absolutely no,' but they were very concerned about a jump," Triponey said.

UPAC Chairman-elect Greg Heleniak advocated an increase from a UPAC perspective, citing the "growing number of student organizations."

"It gets harder and harder for us to do our job to provide for the amount of student programs that want to happen on campus," he said. "At this point, we do need an increase. I think that $80 might be on the high side. Seventy dollars might be a more reasonable number."

At the meeting, Triponey encouraged student leaders who were present to write letters to Spanier in favor of an increased fee.

Graduate Student Association (GSA) President Brian Borawski seemed hesitant about an increase and said graduate students do not feel they get a lot out of their student activity fee dollars.

"What I would suggest is: Don't write a letter opposing it," Triponey told Borawski.

Borawski suggested to Triponey that a representative from the Division of Student Affairs meet with GSA as a whole to discuss the merits of an increased fee.

"You might be able to get them to change their minds on this," Borawski said.

Plans by the Division of Student Affairs to implement a programming board in spring 2007 that would provide programming assistance to student organizations also factored into the discussion.

"You probably want to mention the programming board in your piece and how important that is," Triponey told Heleniak.

Triponey also encouraged Council of Commonwealth Student Governments President Kathleen Streaker to solicit letters of support from members of her organization.

The student activity fee level varies at each Penn State campus. If the board sees its preferred increase take effect, each campus would choose the student activity fee level based on three "tiers," Triponey said. Campuses choosing the lowest tier would charge students $50 per semester, while campuses choosing the second and third tiers would charge students $58 and $65, respectively.

This year, campuses choosing the first tier charge students $39 per semester, second-tier campuses charge $44, and third-tier campuses, which include University Park, charge $49.

However, University Park students currently pay $3 more per semester than other third-tier campuses, bringing the total to $52. That extra money is going to support the construction of a new health center, Triponey said

She added that in the 2006-07 academic year, University Park students would be charged $4 more per semester than other third-tier schools, which could bring the overall fee to $69 per semester.

Triponey said an official vote by the board on what fee level to recommend to Spanier would take place sometime this week, and the recommendation would be presented to him shortly thereafter.

The Penn State Board of Trustees will vote on a proposed budget for 2006-07, which will include the student activity fee, at its meeting in July.