Fresno State announced on Tuesday that it is temporarily reducing the Instructionally Related Activities (IRA) fee by 4.4% ($40) for the spring 2021 semester.
In a campus email, Carolyn Coon, acting vice president for Student Affairs and Enrollment and dean of students, said the reduction was made due to the inability to have any in-person programs, activities or travel. The reduction to $92 will only be for the spring semester, Coon said.
The IRA fee was originally $132 per semester, and a large portion of the fee is used to support Associated Students Inc., academic retention and support and progress towards degree completion, according to Debbie Adishian Astone, vice president for administration and chief financial officer.
The IRA fee provides funds to clubs like Mock Trial and Moot Court, as well as intercollegiate athletics, art exhibits, concert and marching band, drama performances and many others, according to the tuition and fees section of the Fresno State website.
“Mock Trial receives its funding through the IRA to travel the same with Moot Court. I get to go to Orlando, Baton Rouge, up and the coast; amazing places I would have never been able to travel to before if it wasn’t for joining those clubs and paying the IRA fee,” ASI Executive Vice President Hisham Qutob said.
Coon added that the university will continue to grant IRA awards to students for research, programs and other activities as done in the past.
In the 23-campus California State University system, Fresno State charges students $901 per year in mandatory fees — the lowest fee total. However, the IRA fee, prior to the reduction, was the eighth-highest at $264 a year among all CSU campuses.
