By Navita Nauth

Left to right: Dev Sharma, Gabriella Mungalsingh, Faika Kabir, Clinton Dyer, Nadia Taskeen, Nancy Jeeuth, and Shereef Hassan, members of Student Council stand for a celebratory photo, after raising the activity fee at John Jay is for the first time in 25 years.

You didn’t have to be in the Lynn and Jules Kroll Atrium to hear the cheering and applause at 5:30 on March 14. The cacophony came from members of the John Jay community celebrating that John Jay had voted to raise the activity fee for the first time in 25 years.

The increase passed with a 995 to 617 vote.

“They put together a strong marketing plan to get this fee passed,” said Kenneth Holmes, the Dean of Students for the Division of Student Affairs. ”It is really a testament to their hard work and dedication to the John Jay student body and how our culture has changed. As their dean, I’m very proud of them,” Holmes said.

The activity fee will increase the funds that extra-curricular clubs receive and offer students more things to do during community hour. The fee will rise from $49.60 to $99.60 for full-time undergraduate students, from $39.85 to $79.85 for part-time undergraduate students, and from $29.50 to $59.50 for part-time and full-time graduate students.

Out of all of CUNY’s school’s, John Jay is now has the third highest activity fee.

Holmes continued, “This year the student government executive board under the leadership of Mehak Kapoor was outstanding. This is evidence of their hard work, starting even in the summer, to put together a plan for the referendum for the student activity fee.”

From the breakdown, it is clear that many things will have better budgets to work with. Earmarkings like the Student Government Association, Freshmen orientation, the Veteran’s Center, Quality of Life, and Child Care will all receive more money from the activity fee.

Newly elected treasurer of student council Shereef Hassan said, “I was uncontested but the fact the student activity fee passed it means to me that I would have more responsibility and all the work I put in, my VP, my secretary, and my president and all my student council members means a whole lot.”

“This is the dawn of a new era for John Jay and everybody likes being part of history. This is exactly history,” Hassan said.

(Updated: 03/18/13)