The Board of Regents may approve an increase in the $100 mandatory special institutional fee – and the University’s Student Government Association is taking a stand.

At today’s meeting in Atlanta, the Regents may approve a proposal to bring the fee, implemented last spring, to $200 for research universities.

“The purpose of the fee is to support the operation of the institution as it relates to students,” said John Millsaps, spokesman for the Regents.

The fee supports the primary academic mission of the University, including support for classrooms, student advising and technology.

The increase stems from the University System of Georgia’s plan to reduce its budget by 8 percent, as mandated by the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget.

But a delegation from SGA hopes it can influence the Regents’ decision. SGA is sending a team of students to today’s meeting to remind the Regents of the students affected by the fee increase, said Katie Barlow, president of SGA.

“That’s our goal,” Barlow said, “to at least be a physical presence.”

Barlow said the students sent a letter outlining their concerns to the board because the students will not have speaking privileges at the meeting.

She said one of the group’s main concerns is that the fee increase would not be covered by scholarships. If the Regents would consider using tuition increases, instead of fees, to make up for budgetary losses, then students could use their scholarships to help, Barlow said.

“That makes a big difference in some students’ lives,” she said. “For some students, that’s the difference in attending or not attending [college].”