Representatives from Ram Events and the Lory Student Center (LSC) met with the Student Fee Review Board Monday afternoon to propose fee increases.

External Relations and Public Relations Director Jensen Woods and Campus Activities Director Lance Wright were among the group proposing an increase in fees for Ram Events.

Woods said this increase comes from the expectation for Colorado’s minimum wage to increase as well. It will allow the group to cover mandatory costs and pay their staff members.

“This is a six-cent increase for our full-time students and a two-cent increase for part-time students,” Woods said.

This is a six-cent increase for our full-time students and a two-cent increase for part-time students.” Jensen Woods, External Relations and Public Relations Director for Ram Events

This is the second year in a row Ram Events increased their fees as a result of the minimum wage Woods said.

At this time, they are unsure if next year will see another fee increase as the budget relies on the outcome of their programs.

“Maybe … I mean, last year we asked for a 50 cent increase,” Woods said. “This year we asked for six. So it might not be much.”

Representatives for the LSC, Robert Peters, Business and Dining Services Director and Jennifer Fisher, Manager of Business Services, also proposed a fee increase.

“Our student fees (and) our mandatory costs have gone up,” Peters said. “So, there is a mandatory student fee increase of 2.61 percent … We are not asking for any further fees from the students.”

In addition to a prospective fee increase, the LSC made other adjustments to their budget. These include a continued self-generating revenue and a drop in expected expenses for areas, such as dining services.

They also made a goal to strictly follow their current budget for this year, seeing as how game days for the past year led to an overspending on the budget by $11,000.

“We budgeted $25,000 last year. We spent $36,000,” Peters said. “We hope not to do that ever again.”

Another change is a bond payment decrease which will allow funds to be placed into reserves for future renovations. Specifically, they look to renovate the North end of the LSC.

Despite the planned renovations, the LSC does not intend to ask for another increase next year.

“We’re trying not to increase fees,” Peters said, when asked about possible fee increases and the renovations. “I put forth a request… to renovate the North end of the LSC. We’re not going to ask for any fees … We’re going to take about $3 million of our reserves and do a bond sale of about $12.5 million. The total renovation might cost us $15.5 million. And we intend to do this without coming back to ask for an increase … It’s not a good business practice.”

Last week’s proposals were addressed after the two presentations. Both Off-Campus Life and Ram Ride’s requests passed. Accordingly, there will be no fee increase for either group.

Voting for Ram Events and the LSC will not occur until the meeting after Spring Break. This meeting will also contain proposals from SLICE and Campus Recreation.

Collegian reporter Charlotte Lang can be reached at news@collegian.com or on Twitter @ChartrickWrites.