The Penn State University Park Student Fee Board convened Friday morning to vote on a final fee recommendation to submit to the Office of University President Eric Barron for the 2020-2021 academic year.

The Board recommended a $265 per semester per student fee and 31-cent enrollment protection fee that is unchanged from last year’s recommendation.

Friday’s meeting began with extensive public comment from several Penn State students regarding University Health Services’ request for $420,000 in funding from the Board to sponsor free specific sexually transmitted infection (STI) tests for students on campus.

The discussion featured comment from student representatives from the University Park Undergraduate Association, Penn State College Democrats, the Penn State Student Lion Pride Roundtable for Inclusion Diversity and Equity, and Planned Parenthood Generation Action among other organizations and academic colleges.

Several shared their personal experiences in seeking STI testing at Penn State, and voiced their support of an initiative that they said would remove barriers to entry that could currently prevent students from seeking care. These included risks associated with the practices and confidentiality requirements of the local pregnancy resource clinic, the often high cost of STI testing and care, a lack of safe and confidential resources for members of Penn State’s LGBTQ community, and the difficulty international or non-local students face when seeking off-campus care.

The Board initially proposed to fund 7,500 tests through a $315,000 allocation. Several members argued that this would be a more appropriate allocation considering that the program was a pilot effort. But after extensive discussion the Board motioned to vote again on the proposal, and re-adjusted its allocation to meet UHS’s initial request of $420,000 for 10,000 tests. The Board approved the final allocation unanimously.

The total fee recommendation must now be confirmed by the Office of the President and approved by the Board of Trustees at its July meeting before it is deemed official.

Friday’s agenda included the following breakdown of the student fee allocation:

University Health Services

2020-2021 allocation: $420,000 total (first-time pilot program)

Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity

2019-2020 allocation: $141,000 total ($16,350.50 summer allocation)
2020-2021 allocation: $147,838 ($9,027 summer allocation)

Student Legal Services

2019-2020 allocation: $490,000 total ($118,946.14 summer allocation)
2020-2021 allocation: $520,671.00 total ($118,786 Summer allocation

Gender Equity Center

2019-2020 allocation: $58,000 total
2020-2021 allocation: $58,000 total (flat funding)

Student Parent Child Care Subsidy

2019-2020 allocation: $206,362 total ($36,362 summer allocation)
2020-2021 allocation: $206,362 ($36,362 summer allocation)

Student Orientation and Transition Programs

2019-2020 allocation: $102,000 total ($36,000 summer allocation)
2020-2021 allocation: $102,000 total ($36,000 summer allocation)

Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS)

2019-2020 allocation: $850,740 total ($200,000 summer allocation)
2020-2021 allocation: $872,008 total ($290,668 summer allocation)

Bryce Jordan Center

2019-2020 allocation: $225,000 total
2020-2021 allocation: $200,000

Center for the Performing Arts

2019-2020 allocation: $195,000 total (flat funding)
2020-2021 allocation: $205,000 total

Campus Recreation

2019-2020 allocation: $4,732,232 total
2020-2021 allocation: $4,850,500 total

University Park Allocation Committee (UPAC)

2019-2020 allocation: $4,083,100 total ($164,900 summer allocation)
2020-2021 allocation: $4,167,000 total ($259,200 summer allocation)

Office of Student Activities

2019-2020 allocation: $1,566,507 total ($77,400 summer allocation)
2020-2021 allocation: $1,591,521 total ($80,450 summer allocation)

Paul Robeson Cultural Center

2019-2020 allocation: $178,000 total (flat funding)
2020-2021 allocation: $198,000 total

Student Farm

$200,000 total ($65,000 summer allocation, first-time allocation)

Student Health and HUB Debt Service

$1,934,000 total

HUB Reserve Fund

$200,000 total

Facilities Fee Reserve

$8,800,000 total (designated for wellness-centered projects and future facility expansion efforts)

Council of Commonwealth Student Governments

$5,000 total

University Park Undergraduate Association (UPUA)

$139,628.55 total

Graduate and Professional Student Association (GPSA)

$59,542 total