A California State University fee moratorium stands in the way of SF State’s Recreational Sports Program from acquiring additional funding to sustain intramurals, Club Sports, and Open Gym.

In December, SF State President Robert Corrigan approved a fee increase to raise the RSP fee from $2 to $9 in Fall 2008. The fee request was submitted to the Chancellor’s Office for final approval, but an Oct. 10 memo from the Chancellor’s Budget Office said the office was calling a suspension on “the establishment of new fees and the adjustment of existing fees until the new policy is adopted by the Board of Trustees.”

The board of trustees will review a new fee policy at their March meeting, according to the memo.

The RSP administrators and participants have gathered nearly 2,500 signatures since the Student Fee Advisory Committee approved the request for a fee increase last October. Penny Saffold, vice president of student affairs and dean of students, sent the signatures to Admissions for verification.

“A staggering amount of signatures were valid, and only eight signatures went unaccounted,” said RSP Director Ajani Byrd.

Students currently pay a $55 instructionally related athletics activities fee every semester, and $2 goes toward funding RSP. The Kinesiology Department proposed the $9 RSP fee to alleviate the high demand for its services.

Byrd said he anticipates that the Chancellor’s Office will approve the fee increase so that the RSP can expand their staff.

“I’ll continue to stay optimistic,” Byrd said. “I think [the RSP is] definitely something needed on this campus. It’s not just this campus, but it’s a nationwide movement to increase recreational sports funding. There will be new and bigger and better things on the horizon.”