Spring 2025 Referendum Information

Referendum 1. Associated Students Program Board (ASPB) 

The Associated Students Program Board (ASPB) at UC Riverside proposes an increase to the current quarterly undergraduate student programming fee to strengthen the sense of belonging, foster campus engagement, and improve the overall campus experience for all students. This increase will support the growing costs associated with event production, supplies, security, and the inclusion of high-quality vendors and artists who contribute to the vitality and diversity of student life. In 2012, UCR students voted to increase the student referendum fee by ten dollars every three years. This increase took effect in Fall 2012, raising the fee to $20; in Fall 2015, it went up to $30; and in Fall 2018, it rose to $40. The student programming fee has not been increased since 2018.

Beginning in Fall 2025, ASPB proposes increasing the student programming fee from $40 per quarter to $50 per quarter, including summer sessions, to address rising costs and ensure the continued quality of student programming. To ensure that the fee adjustment remains accessible to all students, 25% of the fee will be returned to Financial Aid, in accordance with University requirements, to help offset the costs for students who are eligible for financial assistance.

Approving this referendum will allow ASPB to create new campus traditions that align with the evolving interests of students while enhancing existing UCR traditions such as Block Party and Spring Splash. By providing the necessary funding, the referendum will help meet the growing demand for high-caliber artists and performers, ensuring that ASPB can continue to offer high quality programming. Additionally, it will address the rising costs associated with facilities, security, and vendor services,  which have made it increasingly difficult to maintain quality events. Funds from the fee will also allow ASPB to expand programming and introduce new attractions like mechanical activities and guest speakers that reflect student interests. In compliance with university policies and to assist eligible students, beginning Fall 2025, the full 25% will be return to Financial Aid. Ultimately, this referendum will strengthen the sense of community, school pride, and belonging, ensuring that students are more engaged and connected to UCR and each other through these enhanced campus experiences. 

Supporting this referendum may help to : 

• Diversify the lineup for annual concerts and lectures. 
• Work with campus partners to implement Welcome Week and Homecoming Week 
• Feature one major guest speaker each quarter. 
• Implement additional safety measures at large-scale events, such as increased security, better lighting, and more barricades. 
• Introduce more mechanical attractions at concerts to provide students with more activities to enjoy. 
• Enhance current events to align closely with student recommendations and create new events and campus traditions. 
• Add additional advisory support to continue having high caliber events (such as an assistant advisor or coordinator). 
• Upgrade electronic equipment for marketing production and overall office operations. 
• Reinstate the quarterly Co-Sponsorship program to continue fiscally supporting the programming efforts of student organizations. 
• Invest in new production equipment to enhance event quality. 
• Increase the student board member’s stipend may help attract more students and expand the pool of candidates for leadership opportunities.
• Increase support for the volunteer and membership program. 
• Increase funding for summer initiatives and programs. 

If this increase does not pass, the current quarterly fee of $40, including summer session at a prorated rate, will remain.

• Limit booking of popular, diverse artists for events like Block Party and Spring Splash
• Inability to reinstate student organization co-sponsorships
• Insufficient security and safety measures, leading to event cancellations, especially quarterly lectures and annual concerts
• Limit or remove promotional items and food distribution at events
• Cut production, attractions, and vendors, compromising event quality
• Fewer leadership opportunities for student participants
• Decreased school spirit due to loss of annual events
• Diminished campus life may reduce student interest in UCR

The full proposal with additional background information can be found here. Preview of the ballot language can be found here. 

Referendum 2. Highlander Abroad Referendum (HAR) Fee Renewal

This proposal requests to renew the Highlander Abroad Referendum (HAR) for another five years, from Fall 2025 onwards. The fee will be called “Fee” or “HAR” in this proposal. This referendum acknowledges that we, the Education Abroad Office at the University of California, Riverside (“UCR”), are interested in providing student support through the renewal of the Highlander Abroad Advisory Committee (HAAC).

The HAR will support the UCR Education Abroad Office's mission as students' gateway to high-impact international opportunities by assessing a $2.00 per undergraduate per quarter fee to enhance existing student programs and expand education abroad programming.

If the HAR fee is renewed, undergraduate students will continue to pay a $2.00 fee each quarter (Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer) beginning in the Fall 2025 quarter, subject to reaffirmation by the student body every five years thereafter.

Per University of California policy, UCR Financial Aid will return 25% of the amount collected from this fee ($0.50 each quarter term) to UCR students as undergraduate financial aid. 

Of the $2.00 quarterly fee collected from undergraduate students, $0.50 will continue to go to student financial aid, and $1.50 will support the UCR Education Abroad Office to expand global experiences that will enhance students’ experiential learning opportunities through increased participation in education abroad programs in the U.S. and other countries. The funding will support the five areas listed in the Annual Budget Projection chart above.

The approval of this referendum would provide for:

• Developing the UCR workforce by hiring student workers, volunteers, and peer mentors.
• Academic engagement through high-quality, impactful education abroad programs.
• Culturally relevant domestic programs for students who prefer learning within the U.S.
• Supporting staff to assist with travel resources like airfare and accommodations.
• Funding events such as the Worldfest Education Abroad Fair and Passport Fair.

If this referendum does not pass, the current quarterly fee of $2.00 will sunset at the end of Spring 2025.

• Reduced reimbursable travel expenses.
• Reduced travel opportunities.
• Reduced in outreach (i.e. outreach materials, marketing and communication).
• Reduced on awareness for study abroad.
• Reduced education abroad events.
• May impact on the services from MyUCR Abroad portal.

The full proposal with additional background information can be found here. Preview of the ballot language can be found here. 

Referendum 3. Performing Arts Support and Access Fee (PASA)

Since 2012, the campus has levied the SSTAP fee of $2.50 that goes to support performances produced by the Department of Theatre, Film and Digital Production. While the revenue of this student fee supports the department’s productions, the fee has not kept up with the cost of theatrical productions. 

This proposal seeks to provide stable, predictable funding for performing arts programming in dance, music, theater, and digital production. 

The PASA Fee would begin Fall Quarter 2025 and would replace the current Subsidized Student Theater Admission Plan fee for a net fee increase of $9.50 per quarter. If this referendum is not passed, the status quo, including the $2.50 SSTAP fee, will remain in place.  The existing SSTAP fee has not been cost adjusted and no longer covers the original intention of the fee even for theater production.  The proposed PASA fee restores the original capacity to theater and expands it to include film, digital production, dance and music.  If the PASA fee is not approved the capacity to provide theater productions will continue to deteriorate and dance and music productions will either continue to be accessible only through ticket purchase or currently free events may require tickets in the future.

Replacing the existing fee with a more inclusive fee in support of all of the performing arts will ensure that UCR students have access to and can benefit from the educational, artistic, and cultural enrichment opportunities that a robust research university performing arts program should provide.

Use of the Funds Generated by the Fee: Use of the funds generated by the fee will provide specific areas of support to all three departments collectively for collaborative work and to each department individually for department-specific work. The main benefit to students is access – via allocations of tickets at no additional cost – to the performances and events produced and sponsored by the Departments of Dance; Music; and Theatre, Film, and Digital Production. The size of the student ticket allocation may vary depending on the nature of the event. For some events, a significant portion of the venue capacity (at least 25%) will be included in the allocation of free student tickets, while some tickets may be made available for sale to the campus community and general public. For other events, the allocation will include 100 percent of the venue capacity or admission will be granted upon presentation of a valid student ID. Across all three departments, the referendum will provide increased opportunities for all students to access high caliber performances. 

Per campus policy, 25% of the fee will be returned to financial aid to offset the cost of the fee for students eligible to receive financial aid. Revenue generated by the fee will also cover the UCOP funding streams assessment cost.

If this referendum does not pass, the status quo, including the SSTAP fee, will remain in effect.

The full proposal with additional background information can be found here. Preview of the ballot language can be found here. 

Referendum 4. R'Garden Food Security and Sustainability Referendum

The R'Garden is a student resource that began in 2009 when a group of students, faculty, staff, and community members set out to increase the accessibility of environmentally centered spaces on UCR's campus. In 2012, the student organizations Sustainable UCR and Cultivate R'Space organized a petition and began to protest under the campaign "Where's R'Garden?" Due to their dedication and diligent efforts, the R’Garden was officially established in 2012. Originally made up of several different spaces, the R'Garden has since expanded from the initial three acres of community plots, row crops, and Valencia orange groves. In 2018, R’Garden farmland was increased to a total of eight acres and has since developed a vermicompost bin and a campus-wide static-aerobic compost center in order to forward UCR’s goals towards a more sustainable campus. The R'Garden also hosts several events throughout the school year each featuring sustainability centered education and resources for promoting a healthy and environmentally conscious student body.

With the help of this referendum, the R’Garden will continue to produce and provide for UCR students at a much larger capacity with the express intent of combating food insecurity and education on food systems. Specifically, new funds will be used to hire much-needed professional staff, who would serve as essential liaisons between the R’Garden and the campus. Staff members would focus on bolstering long term campus goals in outreach, volunteerism, food and climate education. Many students are not made aware of the services provided by the R’Garden due to being near a mile away from the center of campus and the staff will serve to fix this problem. Through collaboration with the R’Garden, UCR would cement itself as a leader in agricultural education and honor its origins in agricultural research.
R'Garden is proposing $10.00 per quarter from undergraduate students, starting Fall 2025, with 25% of the collected fee to be returned to UC Riverside students in the form of financial aid. 

New services to be provided with additional funding: 

• Expand production to increase availability and accessibility of produce for campus
• Create and host more workshops to help engage students on campus with sustainable food systems
• With the help of the Educational Coordinator the R’Garden will create workshops and hands on learning activities encompassing sustainable food systems using the R’Garden as a learning platform
• The Educational Coordinator will maintain a direct line of communication between R’Garden and campus allowing for more seamless coordination with hosting events

The approval of this referendum may support:

• Student access to an experiential learning space for growing fresh produce, using sustainable methods
• Access to robust and professional internship and student staff experiences around topics of sustainable agriculture, food security, policy, health, and agricultural technology
• A living, learning laboratory to nurture student projects and programs
• Opportunities for integration of R'Garden research into courses, student life programming, and campus operations
• Greater campus engagement with composting, reducing campus waste generation and GHG emissions
• Access to open, natural spaces to support mental health
• Support for Garden Operations, including but not limited to:
  • Purchase of new tools and the maintenance of equipment
  • Seeds, fertilizer, compost, and soil amendments
  • Fuel, rodent control, fencing, etc.
  • Long-term projects such as a permanent restroom and office
• Support for Educational Programming, including but not limited to:
  • Hands-on composting workshops, sustainable agriculture courses, and community outreach
  • Annual events such as the Fall Harvest Festival and Spring Dig ‘n’ Dance
  • Venue rentals, performance agreements, porta-potties, etc.
• 3 Full time staff members salaries whose sole focus is the R’Garden:
  • Full time Landscape Ground Supervisor position to supervise student interns through assigned tasks and assist in coordinating events with Educational Coordinator
  • Full time Senior Ag. Technician position to help maintain field operations at the R’Garden
  • Full time Educational Coordinator position to serve as conduit between R’Garden and Campus. Will create educational materials pertaining to sustainability in agriculture. In addition, will also coordinate events with Landscape Ground Supervisor
• 5 Part time student internship positions who will be responsible for operations at the R’Garden. Student interns will also be responsible for facilitating workshops in coordination with Educational Coordinator

If this referendum does not pass, 

• The R’Garden would no longer 
  • Teach students self-sufficiency and learn how to solve food insecurity 
  • Provide a space for interns to conduct service work,
  • Coordinate programs, 
  • Host student workshops and hands-on experiential learning on sustainable food systems 
• A loss of an opportunity to improve the lives of those in need.
• The loss of fresh produce dedicated to students would be eliminated. 
• Production of 50,000 lbs of fresh produce for students would not occur.

The full proposal with additional background information can be found here. Preview of the ballot language can be found here.