By Remy Wells, VP of Finance
When students discuss the cost of attending Colorado College, they are generally referring to the cost of tuition. However, tuition is only part of the total cost to attend. The total cost charged by the school is known as the comprehensive fee, which is composed of tuition, room and board, and the student activity fee.
Tuition is the academic cost. The revenue received by tuition is allocated with input from the Budget Committee, President Jill Tiefenthaler, and the Board of Trustees, to name a few. Room and board includes the cost of housing on campus and the meal plan. The student activity fee falls under the purview of CC Student Government Association and is used for — you guessed it — student activities.
The student activity fee is currently set at $474 per student. Multiply this number by the number of students who attend CC — approximately 2,000 — and the total comes to roughly $950,000. While this number seems quite high, it quickly starts to dwindle because of the different opportunities and activities it supports. The student activity fee supports Campus Activities, Llamapalooza, Arts & Crafts, student hockey tickets, the New York Times subscription, club budgets, student-held events, and sustainability initiatives. This list is not even close to exhaustive.
The CCSGA Finance Committee, with input from Full Council, ultimately controls the student activity fee revenue. Every year, CCSGA recommends whether to increase it to support additional initiatives or to keep it the same. The last increase to the student activity fee went into effect for the 2018–19 school year, when it changed from $438 per student to $474 per student.
Last year, the CCSGA Finance Committee used some of the additional revenue to award increases in funding to club budgets, club sports, and outdoor recreation. They also left some revenue for the 2019–20 CCSGA Finance Committee to allocate. This past semester, the Finance Committee did thorough research to assist them in deciding where the remaining student activity fee revenue should go. The Finance Committee prioritized creating new opportunities over increases to existing opportunities. They also looked for the options that would positively impact the most students and increase inclusion.
Ultimately, they elected to provide funding for student programs at the Bemis School of Art and for student programs over the summer through Summer Session. In addition, they tentatively hope to support a digital club platform to help streamline the club application process and provide a consistent platform for co-chairs. In terms of increases, the committee is looking to offer an increase in funding to Llamapalooza, under the stipulation that the additional funding only goes toward music and not amenities. Arts & Crafts will also receive an increase to support the programs and student workers.
Vice President of Finance Remy Wells ’20 leads the Finance Committee. Hugh Alessi ’20, Lilly Davis ’22, Deksyos Damtew ’21, and Dani Richardson ’21 are also members of the committee.
CCSGA Finance Committee is always looking for ways to support and engage with the student body. If there is a new or existing initiative they can support, please reach out.