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Charge: Approved by AS Board of Directors May 24th, 2000 Revised November 14, 2003 Student Technology Fee Procedures & Submittal Guidelines A. Background: The Student Technology Fee was implemented in the Fall 1995 as a result of action taken by the Associated Students, Western Washington University, and the Western Foundation. Funding for the program is provided by a fee established by the Associated Students Board and imposed on all full-time, on-campus students; a $50,000/year allocation from the Western Foundation; and a $150,000/year allocation from the University. The Student Technology Fee Committee is responsible for recommending allocations to the University President. The Student Technology Fee Committee (STFC) is comprised as follows: Associated Students Vice President for Academic Affairs (Chair) Associated Students Vice President for Student Life 2 students at-large (appointed by the Associated Students) Vice Provost for Information and Telecommunication Services Faculty representative from the Academic Technology Committee Faculty representative at-large (appointed by the Faculty Senate) The Student Technology Fee program will be reviewed biennially by the STFC. The fee will be in effect for four years, may be re-implemented pending approval of the Board of Trustees, and upon the stipulation that the Western Foundation and Western Washington University contribute annually no less than $200,000. B. Program Description and process: 1. Mission Statement: “The increasing utilization of technology in higher education brings a significant need for capital outlay to provide Western Washington University students with adequate technology experiences. The state-allocated equipment funds are inadequate to meet the projected technology needs of students. In order to meet the needs of students for access to technology, the Associated Students Board proposes to join forces with the administration to develop a fund for student technology. A student technology fee, augmented by money from the administration and the Western Foundation, would create a fund designed to meet the demand.” 2. Objectives: The Student Technology Fee Project has the following objectives: a. Broaden or enhance the quality of the student's academic experience through the use of technology in support of the curriculum; b. Provide additional student access to technological resources and equipment that are needed in support of instruction and to maintain and enhance the technological competency of students as it relates to their academic endeavors; c. Increase the integration of technology into the curriculum. 3. Definition of "technology": Within the context of the STF project, the terms "technology" and "technological resources" are defined as follows: a. Equipment resources used in support of the instructional process. For instance, microscopes, student computer labs, or other equipment used in direct support of instruction would qualify. b. Computer software that is used in support of the instructional process. For instance, a special computer program to provide visual models of demographic census information for an existing computer lab or any software needed for the support of equipment that is proposed for purchase under the STF project would qualify. c. Electronic information resources with direct applicability to the curriculum. For instance, full-text databases of selected journals, statistical abstracts, and networked information resources would qualify. d. Delivery systems that provide access to technology, technological resources, or other information resources that are needed in support of instruction. For instance, additional dial-up telephone lines, additional network nodes, or file servers would qualify. 4. Preparation of proposals: The University Provost and the Associated Students Vice President for Academic Affairs will be responsible for designing the detailed project review procedures for their areas. All areas must use the project request format developed by the STFC. Once proposals have been approved and prioritized by the College Dean or organizational head, they should be forwarded directly to the STFC. 5. STFC Participation Objectives The Student Technology fee Committee will implement measures to expand student participation. The STFC will encourage departments to hold open meetings to solicit student participation in the identification of potential projects. The STFC will also provide linkage between students and appropriate departments for the development of joint projects. 6. STFC Review Process: The STFC will consolidate all proposals received into a single list. The STFC will consolidate duplicated or very similar projects as appropriate. The combined list will be given to the University Provost and the Associated Students Board. The University Provost and the Associated Students Board will prioritize the consolidated list according to procedures developed by each area. The University Provost and the Associated Students Vice President for Academic Affairs will meet and prepare consolidated recommendations to the STFC as well as providing any other comments they feel may be useful to the STFC. When the STFC receives the prioritized lists and comments from the University Provost and the Associated Students Vice President for Academic Affairs, the committee will review the projects based upon the overall program objectives, the priority assigned to the project by the University Provost and the Associated Students Vice President for Academic Affairs, and their respective comments concerning the projects. 7. Proposal Modifications: Through discussions within the STFC or through discussions with proposal submitters, funding for a proposal may be modified, conditions may be attached to the proposal, proposals may be combined, or other modifications may be made. The STFC may also solicit proposals where necessary to fulfill the overall objectives of the STF program or to address issues that were omitted by the individual project proposals. 8. Technical and Cost Review: Prior to submission to the President, all proposals considered for recommendation for funding by the STFC will undergo a formal technical review process to verify the configuration and costs of the project and expected impacts upon existing resources. The proposals will be reviewed to see if technical aspects of the proposal can be improved, to ensure that all cost items have been identified, identify additional sources of funding, etc. The proposals will also be reviewed by the relevant organizational entities such as Telecommunication Services, Business and Financial Affairs, and Academic Technology and User Services. During this process, the proposer will be asked to work with Purchasing, Space Administration, Facilities Management, ATUS etc. to develop the detailed costs of the project. The final project award will be made based upon these revised costs. 9. Approval/Allocation Process: The final list of recommended projects and the recommended funding for each project will be submitted to the President and the Associated Students President for review and consultation. The President will make the final decision concerning the projects to be funded, the amount allocated to each project, and any implementation considerations. The administrative head of the unit receiving the award is responsible for establishing procedures to monitor the expenses of the project and ensuring the project objectives and any other conditions are met. Each organizational unit receiving funding must submit a report to the STFC after the implementation of each project that outlines the activities of the project, describes how the project objectives were met, and identifies all expenditures of funds. 10. Project Expenditure Control: The head of the organizational unit will be responsible for overseeing the projects to ensure that project expenditures are made in accordance with the project plan and any conditions identified by the President. Any project deficits will be the responsibility of the area receiving the award. 11. Project Management and Coordination: The STFC may require that major projects be managed and coordinated by a project team consisting of the various constituencies that will be involved or affected by the proposed project. The Vice Provost for Information and Telecommunications Services, in consultation with the organizational entity, will appoint the project-management committee. 12. Types of Expenses Supported: As indicated in the Mission Statement, the primary objective of the Student Technology Fee program is to provide the equipment necessary to meet the projected technology needs of students and enhance their learning environment. The STFC will give priority to those projects supporting the academic experience of the University. The types of technology supported are listed in Section B.3. Due to the nature of funding for the STF, the STF is generally able to provide one-time funding only, since funding of projects is made on a year-to-year basis. The requesting organization must therefore be prepared to provide the on-going support for the project from its own funding sources. If a project cannot be completed without the provision of on-going funding, the requestor must clearly identify the level of on-going funding required and address how the project will be affected if on-going support is not provided. In these exceptional cases, the on-going personnel and operating expenses associated with a project may be provided. The Student Technology Fee program will consider one-time operating expenses and personnel expenses associated with project implementation, providing these expenses directly relate to the project objectives and meet the other criteria listed herein. 13. Project Cost: The STFC wishes to use the funds in a manner that will meet the project objectives while serving as many students as possible. The STFC will give preference to projects between $5,000 - $150,000 which will accomplish this mission. Smaller projects (less than $5,000) will be considered if they provide the benefits listed above. 14. Large Projects: Projects in excess of $100,000 must undergo an analysis to determine if external funding sources can be used to defray part of the cost. Detailed instructions are contained in the project submittal form. 15. Site Visits: The STFC may form a technical review team to review proposals that specify the replacement of equipment. This technical review team will assess the overall adequacy of the technology vis-à-vis the application and will report its findings to the STFC. This team will not provide recommendations on individual projects. The technical review team will coordinate their analysis with the project proposer. 16. Who may submit proposals: Prior to submission to the STFC, all proposals must be supported by an organizational entity. Proposals from individuals will not be considered by the STFC. Either the Associated Students or the University may consider proposals from individual students or faculty and incorporate their proposals into an organizational structure prior to submission to the STFC. 17. Number of proposals per organizational entity: Each major organizational entity (college, major administrative unit, etc.) may submit a total of 15 proposals. These proposals must be prioritized, and the aggregate amount of the proposals cannot exceed $1 million. 16. Consolidation of Projects: Each STF proposal shall address a single project. For instance, if a department is requesting funding for a computer lab to support undergraduate students that are taking a particular course or series of courses, and the department also is requesting an instrument to support graduate student research, each of these projects must be submitted as a separate project. Likewise, if a department wishes to upgrade several computer labs, each lab must be described as a separate project. Each of these projects shall be prioritized separately and will be separately evaluated by the STFC. v1.01
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