Students on ASU’s West campus now have more of a say in how student government uses their money.

The creation of the Campus Events and Initiatives Proposal Committee this semester has given West campus students more direct representation in their student government, said Ryan Caracciolo, president of Associated Students of ASU West Senate.

The committee is the first step in the allocation process for the new student fee, which was passed by the Arizona Board of Regents last year. The $25-per-semester fee is added to tuition to provide for student priorities, said Emily Palumbo, an ABOR spokeswoman.

The funds are distributed per capita to each ASU campus based on student enrollment, Caracciolo said. This year the West campus received about $300,000 from the student fee.

“The money that comes from this fee is the students’ money,” he said.

The new committee allows groups or individuals from the West campus to apply for funding from the student fee, Caracciolo said. The money must be used for student events that would have an impact on the West campus, such as Homecoming, he said.

The Campus Events and Initiatives Committee is made up of nine voting members, with no more than half coming from the Associated Students of ASU West, and a chair, who does not vote. Six at-large students and four senators sit on the inaugural committee, Caracciolo said.

Having students represented this way allows for a higher level of participation in their government, said J. Brian Turner, chairman of the Campus Events and Initiatives Proposal Committee.

“It is imperative we have a voice now more than ever, especially with tuition going up,” Turner said.

Turner, a political science junior, was interviewed and appointed by Caracciolo.

So far this semester, Homecoming activities and A Night in Hollywood, a student involvement event, have received funds from the student fee, said Andrew Clark, an Arizona Students’ Association board member from the West campus.

Also, a proposal for lights on West’s football field has come before the Campus Events and Initiatives Proposal Committee, Caracciolo said.

“If the students want it, we will get it,” he said.

Once a request for funds is passed by the Campus Events and Initiatives Proposal Committee, it then moves on to the Senate.

Having the senators on the committee saves time on the allocation process, and having student representatives on the committee creates direct democracy, Caracciolo said. He said this type of committee is new to the ASU culture.

“When the fee was created, we wanted to allocate the funds in a way that would best benefit the students,” he said.

In Tempe, Undergraduate Student Government is also developing a way for individual students and groups of students to submit proposals for initiatives, said Andrew Rigazio, USG’s vice president of policy.

The USG Senate is expected to consider a process for distributing student-fee funds at a meeting Tuesday night.

USG plans to make $300,000 available for student initiatives.

Reach the reporter at philip.haldiman@asu.edu.