American River College’s Associated Student Body discussed raising the student representation fee during its meeting on April 21. 

In the silent boardroom, the student senate—which was missing a few members—examined Student Senate Resolution S23R1, which would potentially increase the student representation fee from $2 to $4. 

Senator William Robey said he attended a Student Advisory Council meeting and conferred about the resolution. 

“They talked about the legal aspects of it, we wouldn’t be able to do it,” Robey said.

Kevin Hill, Club and Events Board president, said the opposition from SAC is due to the wording of the resolution.

“The issue wasn’t the money part, they were on board for getting more money, it was the name of it,” Hill said. 

The senate said that the increase in fees would have a positive impact for students and faculty. 

“It would give us a source of stability and consistent income,” said Maksim Yeremuk, senate whip.

Yeremuk said this income could be used to fund more student activities and clubs. 

“When you have a larger access to funds you start thinking of projects you didn’t think of previously,” Yeremuk said.

The senate discussed the possibility of creating a stipend for members of the ASB. The idea is only in its first stages, but members have begun examining ways in which the stipend would be distributed. 

With the notion of possibly getting paid, Robey stated that if the stipend is approved, ASB members should complete an implicit bias training. 

“We vote, we send out money, we do a lot of things, and I think we should be trained to make sure all of our decisions are unbiased,” Robey said. 

During the meeting, Hill mentioned that CAEB plans to host a ‘finals de-stress event.’ This event is tentatively planned for May 11.

“Yesterday, finally after three weeks of waiting, admin sent me the list of approved food trucks,” Hill said.