Baruch’s Undergraduate Student Government is currently running a petition to increase the student activity fee, which is paid alongside tuition every semester. Only 10% of current undergraduate students need to sign the petition for it to be placed on an official student ballot and take effect for Fall 2026.

If the proposal were to pass both the petition and the subsequent vote, the fee would increase by a total of $25 for full-time and part-time students, bringing the total to $150 and $110, respectively.

The signage posted around the Newman Vertical Campus states the proposed fee increase is “intended to keep pace with inflation while prioritizing the quality of the student experience and maintaining access to essential programs and support services, with due consideration given to the overall financial impact on students.”

While the signage lists how each fee within the budget would be altered, there is no information given to students on how exactly each one benefits their experience or what each section controls.

There is also a lack of transparency for how the proposed budget was calculated, including whether any of the affected organizations were consulted in the adjustments. 

As the student activity fee is a mandatory payment, students should be given full transparency on where that money goes, especially during times when they are supposedly being given a say in whether the raise is justified.

USG also gave very little information on its social media account as to why it proposed the fee changes during promotion of the petition, writing it wanted to raise the fee “so we can continue funding an amazing campus experience for all.”

Media organization leaders were not consulted on how much to add to their earmark, which is proposed to be an extra two dollars, giving them no opportunity to appeal how much it should be raised or reallocated.