The Student Facilities Fund (SFF) is a fund that every registered student at Penn State Harrisburg pays into as part of the Student Fee collected with tuition. The purpose of the SFF is to provide students with the funds to enhance or improve the Penn State Harrisburg infrastructure by making improvements and expansions of non-academic, recreational, multi-use space for students.

SFF Table of Contents

Purpose

Per the 2017 Student Fee Board Handbook, Section 2.2: Facilities funding enhances student out-of-class experience by supporting both large-scale and small-scale infrastructure projects primarily intended for student use or benefit. Large-scale projects include facility development through building and/or renovating University facilities intended for student out-of-class use. Small-scale projects can include, but are not limited to, student requested enhancement/increase of existing resources, support of facilities for recognized student organizations, campus beautification and memorial projects, and the purchase of equipment designed for a student facility.

About SFF Funding Requests

Requests for funding are made by submitting proposals or suggestions, which are reviewed and voted upon by the Student Fee Allocation Committee. The Student Fee Allocation Committee is responsible for reviewing and voting on proposals, recommending or requiring stipulations of the applicant(s), allocating activity fund monies consistent with the purpose of the fee described above and making recommendations for approval to the Chancellor. Before submitting a proposal it is required that you review the Penn State Harrisburg Student Initiated Fee Handbook.

*A campus should make every effort to explore additional sources of financial support for any proposed capital expansion project to assist in minimizing fees charged to students.

*If you do not see file resources, please check that you are logged in to Engage@Harrisburg.

Student Facility Fund Proposal Process

  1. Generate Idea to benefit campus community/infstructure 
  2. View Round Schedule on the website
  3. Review Facility Fund Guiding Principles
  4. Plan Your Project Thoroughly with quotes or simply submit a suggestion
  5. Completion of SFF Proposal Form on Engage@Harrisburg in the Student Fee portal
  6. Watch your PSU Email for Funding Responses
  7. Schedule a meeting to review project with the Student Fee Office by emailing [email protected]

Submitting a Proposal and Rounds Schedule

The SFF Proposal Form can be found on Engage@Harrisburg in the Student Fee portal under “Forms”. 

Before submitting a proposal it is required that you review the Penn State Harrisburg Student Initiated Fee Handbook.

SFF proposals for Penn State Harrisburg are always open. However, proposals submitted after the 5pm cut off, on the Friday before the Allocation Meeting will be reviewed in the next Allocation Committee Meeting.

2021/2022 SFF Proposal Schedule
 
Rounds* Proposal Cutoff (5pm) Allocation Committee Meeting
A 9/17 9/24
B 11/12 11/19
C 2/11 2/18
D** 4/1 4/8

* The Student Facilities Fund accepts proposal submissions all year long, but the Student Fee Allocation Committee reviews proposals based on submission dates as above, which align with Round cutoff dates.
** SFF Proposals submitted after 5pm on 4/2 will be reviewed by the Student Fee Allocation Committee in the Fall of 2022.

Notification of Committee Decision

After the SFF Allocation Meeting, the committee will recommend approved projects to the Chancellor for approval and, if needed (projects over $49,999), to the Vice President of Student Affairs at University Park for approval. The Student Fee Office will notify applicants once all required approvals are obtained.

Student Fee Allocation Committee Authority and Membership

Authority

Section 5.2.2: The Commonwealth Facilities Allocation Committee is granted the authority by the Student Fee Board to allocate Student Fee Funds for all request related to student facilities at each Commonwealth Campus. This includes, but is not limited to, large- and small- scale facilities projects both independent of and in collaboration with the University administration and/or intercollegiate athletics with the approval of the Board of Trustees, when required (Student Fee Board Handbook, 2017).

Student Fee Allocation Committee Membership

  • SGA President (co-chair)*
  • Director of Student Affairs or Designee (co-chair)**
  • 7 Student Appointees
  • 1 Staff member**
  • 1 Faculty Member**
  • Business Services/Office of Physical Plant Representative**
  • Development Office Representative**

*In the case of a tied vote, the ruling will go the direction of the chair's vote (SGA President).

**Non-voting committee members.

Visit Engage@Harrisburg for a list of the current Student Fee Allocation Committee members.