Fee Information Pamphlet

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SDSU proposes the Accelerating Tech and Sustainability Fee to reliably fund technology infrastructure, innovation, support services, and ecological sustainability initiatives, and to ensure the university can continue to meet the growing demands on information technologies, and students’ sustainability goals and aspirations.

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If approved, equitable student representation, including undergraduate and graduate students from both San Diego and Imperial Valley campuses would serve on the Accelerating Technology and Sustainability committees, and would provide annual input and approval on the portions of the fee supporting the discretionary budgets for Accelerating Technology and Sustainability Fee-funded efforts such as programming, procurement subsidies, micro-grant administration, new projects, software and transportation subsidies. 

CFAC will receive annual updates on how the Accelerating Tech and Sustainability Fee is being allocated, as well as outcomes related to the fee.

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A recommendation in favor of the fee increase means:

1. The Accelerating Tech and Sustainability Fee would be implemented.
2. Sustaining robust digital infrastructure and services for students including:
   1. a broader portfolio of software for students in areas including security, productivity, and instruction
   2. better wireless connectivity across campus (indoor and outdoor) at both San Diego and Imperial Valley campuses
   3. enhanced service offering for the SDSU Student Computing Hub with more staff and better staff-to-student ratios
   4. improved support (24/7/365) for the learning management system
   5. modern digital classrooms with the more capacity to capture and caption lectures
   6. sustained in-person and asynchronous training for students
   7. investment in information technology research infrastructure
   8. virtualization technology to support anytime/anywhere/any device computing
   9. paid information technology internships (student assistant appointments)
3. Greater subsidies to incentivize use of mass transit for students and reduce the carbon footprint of commuters for both the San Diego and Imperial Valley campuses.
4. Additional staffing to accelerate implementation of energy and sustainability priorities.
5. Additional efforts for professional energy and sustainability education and literacy for campus stakeholders on individual and campus-wide sustainability priorities and impacts of operations.
6. Additional funding to offset higher initial costs of moving to sustainable energy and utility infrastructure in new and renovation construction projects.
7. A new student technology innovation program that will support e-sports, mobile apps for student smartphones, electronic workflows to support paperless student processes, a new e-sustainability program, and greater access to leading-edge eXtended Reality (XR) and virtual reality environments and software.

A recommendation in opposition to the proposed fee means:

1. The Accelerating Tech and Sustainability Fee would not be implemented.  
2. Direct costs, less support, and reduction of services and opportunities for students:
   1. Students will need to pay for more software
   2. Decreased services and infrastructure
      1. decreased wireless connectivity across campus (indoor and outdoor) at SDSU and SDSU-IV
      2. lower staffing ratios within the SDSU Student Computing Hub
      3. slower investments in classrooms with the capacity to capture and caption lectures
      4. limited training for students on how to use SDSU’s infrastructure and supported software tools
      5. very limited student experience with research information technology infrastructure
   3. Limited subsidies to incentivize use of mass transit for students and to reduce the carbon footprint of commuters.
   4. Status quo efforts based solely on State-funding for implementation of energy and sustainability priorities.
   5. Energy and sustainability education and literacy for campus stakeholders on a volunteer support basis for raising awareness of individual and campus-wide sustainability priorities and impacts of operations.
   6. Revenues from the proposed student fee will not be available to support offset higher initial costs of sustainable energy and utility infrastructure in new and renovation construction projects.
   7. Revenue from the proposed student fee will not be available to support innovation programs such as e-sports and an SDSU mobile app for student smartphones, continued reliance on paper-based processes for students, no e-sustainability program, and limited access to eXtended Reality (XR) and virtual reality immersive learning opportunities.

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Statement in Favor of an Accelerating Tech and Sustainability Fee

Dear Campus Fee Advisory Committee,

I believe that the Accelerating Technology and Sustainability Fee is beneficial in the development of esports related opportunities here at SDSU. With the increase in other collegiate gaming facilities and programs at schools such as UCSD and UCI, I think SDSU following suite would help the university stay competitive in the SoCal region. According to a March 2021 survey, currently almost half of CSU schools have some type of gaming space on campus which further proves that gaming is becoming a larger part of the collegiate space. 

The current gaming space within the Student Union bowling alley is not up to par with spaces that other universities currently possess, with investment into a proper space and equipment we can provide students with a program that will introduce them to the esports, technology, and gaming industry. This opens the door to a variety of professions from marketing, management, production, and product design. Having a dedicated program that oversees an official gaming space and esports teams will give experience to students who wish to pursue post-graduation jobs in the gaming/esports industry. 

The current student run club, Aztec Gaming, has had several of its members move onto be successful in the industry with companies like CORSAIR, MSI, and Sony. To gain these positions, they use the skills gained when leading the club. For example, they learned how to do event planning, leadership, graphic design, community building, and sponsorship management. Creating a program based off the already existing leadership and community will not only allow SDSU to offer a broader range of experience for students but attract further growth of gaming and esports businesses within the San Diego area to potentially become an influential region. 

In terms of immediate benefits for students on campus, a dedicated facility will create equal opportunities for all students to participate in personal entertainment activities. Pulling from data within Aztec Gaming, over 1,700 members have expressed an interest in gaming in some capacity. Based off this, it is likely that many students would find use if a gaming facility was available to them. The proposed items would also help to engage STEM students and increase overall retention rates of students. 

If this facility is to function in a similar way to Aztec Recreation facilities where admission is already paid with tuition and fees, students would have the opportunity to relax and improve their mental health. Analogous to the popular activity of working out where students can unwind, some students, including myself, unwind through gaming. Giving students access to the expensive equipment needed to play and/or compete at a high level is one benefit of this fee not to mention current supply chain shortages with electronics. 

Considering all of the topics included with this fee, I have determined that the $249 tier is the most beneficial but also recognize that the $199 tier is a reasonable compromise between additional costs and benefits to create an esports facility and program. 

Keon Moore, SDSU Senior

Rebuttal to Statement in Favor of an Accelerating Tech and Sustainability Fee

While e-sports facilities could benefit the university, the addition of this fee is not the way to fund them. Historically, student organizations have been funded through the Student Body Association fee, which costs students only $35/semester and pays for the activities of recognized student organizations. If SDSU really wants an e-sports team, they should explore this channel first. The proposed fee places an annual expense between $12 and $18 million per year on the entire student body, of which only a small portion would be allocated to the e-sports item - a benefit that would in turn be used by only a small portion of the student body. The rest would be allocated to a variety of items whose benefits do not seem to outweigh the increased financial burden they entail.

Cayton Larmer, SDSU Junior

Statement in Opposition of an Accelerating Tech and Sustainability Fee

While many of the items outlined by this initiative are important, the proposed fee is not the solution. Existing tuition and cost-of-living expenses for students already impose a significant financial burden on a population with necessarily limited resources. Furthermore, many of the items in this initiative (such as the E-sports and virtual reality labs) look excellent on a university brochure, but will not necessarily materially help the vast majority of students who end up paying for them. San Diego State University is currently engaged in a number of other projects and expansions. While nice quality-of-life improvements, not all of these can be seen as critical to the continued function of the university as a whole. If the items in this initiative are as important as the university says, why were the funds currently being spent on these other projects not put towards the initiative items in the first place?

Cayton Larmer, SDSU Junior

Rebuttal to Statement in Opposition of an Accelerating Tech and Sustainability Fee

While this fee will overall bring beneficial improvements to SDSU, it’s understandable that current tuition and fees impose a financial burden on students and that additional fees can worsen this. Though I cannot influence the way the school allocates its money currently I’d like to compare this new fee with existing similar fees. The current fees listed on SDSU’s webpage shows that ones like the Instructional Related Activity Fee use three quarters of the $249 mandatory fee on athletics. This is an area that only a fraction of students will see the benefits from. It could be argued that items listed on the Accelerating Tech and Sustainability fee such as the esports, augmented, and virtual reality labs would be more efficient in their implementation due to the lower funding per item while influencing similar student numbers or more. Furthermore, it could be argued that quality-of-life items are what contribute to an overall impactful college experience. These quality-of-life items are not only nice to haves, but they serve to engage students and keep them interested in their campus and improve overall retention. While esports, augmented, and virtual reality labs may not be as immediately useful as a gym, they still serve as incredible opportunities for students and faculty in the changing world. Lastly, the bigger picture often gets lost in the debate of how something like fees impacts students now rather than in the long term. Investments in our campus now would allow it to be better for those to come.

Keon Moore, SDSU Senior

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