The California State University board of trustees will decide today whether to approve an annual $4 fee at CSUs systemwide that would help fund a little-known organization whose purpose is to advocate on behalf of students at the state level.

The Student Involvement and Representation Fee (SIRF) would bolster the funding of the California State Student Association (CSSA), a nonprofit student organization that aims to influence higher education policy in California.

The vote, scheduled for this morning, would implement a $2 per semester fee that would be built into tuition. Although the fee is optional for students, they would have to personally opt out if they wished not to pay. If approved, the fee would take effect in time for the fall 2015 semester.

That fee increase doesn’t sit well with some — notably Fresno State’s own Associated Students, Inc. President Moses Menchaca.

Currently, the CSSA gets money from Fresno State students through ASI. However, if the CSU board of trustees implements SIRF, Menchaca said that student governments would be bypassed, losing the power to stop funding the organization if they feel it’s not working in their university’s interest.

“In the past, we’ve seen the CSSA take stances that directly negatively impact certain campuses, and, in the past, they’ve pulled out of CSSA because the campuses felt like they didn’t represent them,” he said.

“What happens if SIRF passes is that we no longer have that ability. Our students are paying the fee to be a part of CSSA, and whether they agree with us or are supporting Fresno State doesn’t matter.”

He also noted that schools in the Central Valley, like Fresno State, run the risk of being underrepresented in the organization as they lack the density of larger universities, and thereby votes, in the Bay Area and Southern California. Menchaca and ASI Executive Vice President Abigail Hudson plan to attend the CSU board of trustees meeting today to protest the fee.

On the other hand, CSSA claims that more reliable streams of funding are vital for it to play a growing role in student advocacy.

“The ability to anticipate revenues and engage in short- and long-term program planning can dramatically improve the association’s effectiveness,” the CSSA said.

The organization also said that the fee is critical to its independence as a student lobbying agency.

“Whereas the association currently accepts significant amounts of funding from the CSU chancellor, the SIRF funding proposal allows each CSU student to financially support the association advocating on its behalf,” it said.