The Warren College Student Council approved
a referendum to increase the quarterly Warren College Activity Fee from $4 to
$7 at its Oct. 9 meeting in the first proposed increase to the fee since its
induction three years ago.

Five years ago, WCSC’s budget was $19,000.
It is almost double that now, with a current total of approximately $49,200.
According to Warren College Council Parliamentarian Dan Palay, the increased
budget reflects the enhanced size and number of events the council sponsors,
such as the third annual Warren Live! concert and the newly established Warren
Transfer Commuter Commission.

Warren College’s activity fee is the lowest
out of the six UCSD colleges, and is one of the few that does not instate
automatic fee adjustments to accommodate annual inflation. As such, WCSC has
lost significant buying power in the past three years, Palay said. In addition,
the A.S. Council’s quarterly contribution of $0.35 per student has been
eliminated, further weakening council funding for existing programs.

“Warren College Student Council is at a
crossroads when it comes to funding,” Palay said. “The design of the referendum
was to make sure that our concert, Warren Live!, would be self-sufficient if
and when Associated Students decides to discontinue funding college concerts
and traditional events.”

The Warren College Council Concert
Commission was allocated $13,250 in this year’s budget, second only to the
council’s events board, which was funded $14,400.

Palay’s design includes two additions to the
fee referendum: First, the increased $3-per-quarter hike would recoup that loss
and provide sufficient revenue for the council to act independently of outside
sources. Secondly, the student body would vote on establishing an annual
automatic fee adjustment in accordance with the California Consumer Price Index
to prevent future loss due to inflation.

Since its approval by the college council,
Warren students will have 30 days to vote on the referendum. If passed, the
council will have an additional $26,199 at its disposal. Palay said he believes
this referendum will be sufficient to cover the cost of Warren College’s
programs.

“Because WCSC breaks up its money into three
different programming arms — Warren Live!, WTCC and our events board — it is
only fair that all three of these arms receive an equal boost in funding,”
Palay said.

Each of the three units would tentatively
receive $8,000, while the additional money would return to WCSC for other
allocations, including Warren student organizations.

Palay said if the referendum fails to pass,
then either the number of events or the size of those events would decrease,
though he did not specify which events would be impacted.

“It’s my hope that Warren students will see
this as an opportunity to increase the amount of programs that they have and
the success and vitality of them such as Warren Live!,” he said.