The Funding Allocation Board (FAB), a group designed by former Vice President for Student Affairs Vicky Triponey in 2006 to allocate the student activity fee, will merge with the University Park Allocation Committee (UPAC).
The decision, made last night, will give student representatives control over the allocation of the student activity fee.
FAB was created in March 2006 to oversee large allocations, including funding for the University Park Undergraduate Association (UPUA) and the Graduate Student Association (GSA), as well as ticket subsidies from the Bryce Jordan Center. It controlled the allocation of the $68-per-student semesterly activity fee. Comprised of appointed students and faculty members, it provided recommendations on fee allocation to the Office of Student Affairs; the vice president for Student Affairs then approved the proposals.
In a closed-door meeting, UPAC decided to merge with FAB and absorb FAB's roles and responsibilities.
Ellery Loomis, the FAB chairman, said the decision was a collaborative effort among UPAC, FAB, the Office of Student Affairs and the Student Activity Fee Board.
The reorganization represents "the most logical and best way of allocating the student activity fee," Loomis said.
UPAC Overall Chairman Dan Green said the merger was a return to UPAC's structure before the creation of FAB.
Gail Hurley, interim vice president for Student Affairs, said "the point here was to consolidate two allocation processes -- both of which were working quite well that were really taking a very responsible approach to allocation of the student activity fee."
"We're taking what the best things are about FAB and incorporating them under the UPAC umbrella," she added.
Triponey, who created FAB, was not available for comment by press time yesterday.
Before FAB's creation, UPAC, which comprises only students, dealt with all funding matters regarding the student activity fee. From March 2006 until last night, it dealt only with funding for smaller student organizations.
Under the new reorganization, UPAC will oversee large allocations, Green said.
"Our main mission is to responsibly allocate the student activities fee," Green said. "It's less confusing for the students, less confusing for the requestors, where everyone goes to the same body under the same policies."
Some UPUA members said they wished the student government had been more involved in the process.
"The changes they made were beneficial," UPUA Academic Affairs Chairman Ralph Crivello said though he added, "The process they used was completely wrong. At least students are running the student activity fee."
Crivello said he and other student government leaders had not been informed of any pending merger between FAB and UPAC.
Green and Loomis, however, said the matter had been discussed in Student Activity Fee Board meetings since November 2007.
"I wouldn't say it was secretive in any way," Green said.
President Hillary Lewis serves on the Student Activity Fee Board. She said that while she participated in discussion on the merger, she did not take an active role in the process.
"I do think that student government should have a more active role in the student activity fee as a whole," she said. "Most other universities have it where the student government has full control over the student activity fee."
Some members of student advocacy group Safeguard Old State (SOS) said improvements still need to be made.
"What we really need at Penn State is real change," SOS Advocacy Director Tom Shakely said. "And by that I mean a generally elected, fully independent student voice controlling the funds."
