Illustration by Michael Uribes / The Collegian

Download the 2008-2009 spreadsheets to see who got how much. (PDF)

Hey, Fresno State student: Do you know what you get for your fee money?

Imagine the possibilities with a pot of $1,218,996.

The typical student now pays $62 every semester into one fund. This fee is listed among the other costs of getting an education under three simple letters — IRA.

According to university policy, the Instructionally Related Activity (IRA) fee “provides funding for activities and laboratory experiences that are partially sponsored by an academic program, discipline, or department and that are integrally related to its instructional offerings.â€Â

Currently, $32 of a student̢۪s IRA fee goes toward athletics. The other $30 pays for many important academic and extracurricular programs.

The Collegian compiled the IRA funding award allocations from 2006 to 2009 and analyzed them for patterns.

The Collegian elected to only examine allocations on the academic and extracurricular side, which takes about half of a student̢۪s IRA fee.

For the past three years, the top five academic awardees are: the Bulldog Marching Band; the Theatre Arts department; the campus radio station, KFSR; the London Semester program; and a culmination of music-related projects like the flute ensemble. The marching band alone earned $130,000 through IRA funds for the 2008-09 school year.

According to the analysis, all five of the highest-funded groups fall within the College of Arts and Humanities. That $332,325 chunk equates to about one-quarter of the $1.2 million total.

While some colleges or departments simply need more to get by, requests for funding are ultimately at the mercy of a six-member committee.

University President John D. Welty, who appoints the faculty members to the IRA Advisory Board, said he looks at prior service and past committee representation when deciding on potential candidates.

“I try to identify faculty who are not from the same school or college,â€Â Welty told The Collegian.

But two of the six members of the IRA board— professors Betsy Hays and James E. Walton — teach in the College of Arts & Humanities. Welty appointed both.

Two more of the six board members — students Graham Wahlberg and Mathew Todd — are both from the College of Engineering.

Associated Students, Inc. (ASI) appoints student members to the IRA board, not Welty.

A ‘fair and reasonable’ process

There are two rounds of IRA awards every school year: the “primaryâ€Â fall term and the “lateâ€Â spring term. Typically, the committee awards between $250,000 and $500,000 more in the fall than in the spring. The fall deadline for 2009-10 was March 20 and the reviewing process started April 20.

John Waayers, the university̢۪s budget officer and one of the six IRA board members, said the board hopes to get the Fall award letters out by June 19.

“The committee reviews those requests and awards what they feel is fair and reasonable,â€Â Waayers said. “For example, IRA funds can be used for travel but not pay for food. IRA funds are also intended to augment instruction rather than replace funds provided by the state for instructional purposes.â€Â

The trick is for applicants to be as specific as possible in the request, which must fall inside the IRA guidelines. The proposals are then looked over by the IRA Advisory Board, which then has to power to award or deny.

“We really don’t have a formula other than for travel to conferences,â€Â Waayers said. “I should point out that we have almost $2 million in requests and only $950,000 to allocate this [fall] round.â€Â

Therefore, not everyone who applies is granted their request.

Hope not lost after denial

Out of the 207 groups in 2008-09 that received any amount, 21 were denied. According to The Collegian̢۪s analysis, departments were rejected equally.

Although most of the denied parties respect the way the decisions are made, they are still frustrated and disappointed with the outcome. Todd Westervelt, a music psychologist, was turned down on a proposal for new technology in a classroom and for music research.

“I’ve found that Fresno State is not a research institution, it’s a learning institution,â€Â Westervelt said. “I plan to re-apply for next year and we’ll see what happens.â€Â

Westervelt applied for the first time this past term, asking for $4,000 to $6,000. His intention was for the money to be used on new technology in the classroom, as well as for music research. According to his calculations, the technology, which would be good from seven to eight years, could affect 50 students per semester and would reach a total of 560 students at the end of that time.

“I wasn’t upset at all,â€Â Westervelt said. “Music money goes to experiences for our students. There is a range of very important issues the money we do receive in the department goes to, like recruitment, band, and things like public opinion and informational flyers. My request happened to be on the lower priority of the list.â€Â

Some groups receive their first request, but are denied for further allocations.

Ruth Masters and Barbara Owen, both professors in the department of criminology, have been conducting trips across the globe to see how foreign governments work since 1978. For 2008-09, their trip was to Bangkok, Thailand, where Masters and Owen wanted to take more than the two students who would earn the chance to go via an approved application.

“We had hoped we could pick a few more students that would never have the opportunity or means to experience something like this,â€Â Masters said.

“Especially deserving ones that are interested in working in the [law enforcement] field. Those who can attend are usually the ones that their parents can afford it and there are students who don’t have that luxury.â€Â

In the end, $5,000 was awarded to the trip, which covers airfare and land fees for two students traveling internationally.

Not discouraged, Masters and Owens have already re-applied for next term and hope to take at least eight to ten students on the upcoming trip to either Amsterdam or Australia.

A goldmine in hard times

With band and theatre leading the way in terms of amounts awarded, there must be other helpful strategies to be able to access the fund money.

Walton, an English professor and IRA board member, said that the board favors “activeâ€Â groups.
“My thinking is you can’t penalize someone for doing things,â€Â Walton said.

The associate dean of the College of Arts & Humanities, Jose Diaz, Ph.D., agrees with Walton’s “activeâ€Â argument. He said that although his college does not have the largest number of majors on campus, it does host the largest number of programs and projects. With nine departments in Arts & Humanities all applying for IRA funding, the number of requests would also appear disproportionate.

“It’s not the college itself applying,â€Â Diaz said. “There are a lot of very active programs within those departments. It’s the reality of the numbers.â€Â

But as active as a group proves itself to be, there still may not be enough money to go around. Due to the economic climate, for example, the College of Arts & Humanities will cut the London Semester program in 2009-10. This move is expected to help support other applicants by leaving $35,000 in the IRA pot for other activities.

With a limited amount of money available and more requests pouring in, the decisions made by the IRA board will continue to be hard.

Walton has noticed a change. He said that some of those requesting from the IRA fund have no other source to turn to while others have become dependant upon the award.

“With the economy turned down, it’s getting crazy now,â€Â Walton said. “I mean, word is getting out.â€Â

By Jessica Dugan and Erin O̢۪Brien / The Collegian

Additional reporting by Ben Keller, Tori Pollock and Dominique Vargas.