Student groups applying for special fees must now receive a majority of votes from both undergraduates and graduates instead of a majority of the total voting population, as a result of a new amendment set to go into effect this week.

Last spring, the amendment was approved by students voting in the ASSU elections. Reacting to the impending policy change, several student groups, such as the Stanford News Readership Program, applied for undergraduate special fees instead of the joint fees they sought last year.

ASSU Vice President Mondaire Jones ‘09 said that the Graduate Student Council had already approved the amendment last Wednesday in a unanimous vote and was confident that it will pass in the Undergraduate Senate tonight.

“I have every indication that the amendment will be approved and will take effect Tuesday night in time for voting on Wednesday and Thursday,” Jones said.

He said that the change resulted from the Graduate Student Council’s dissatisfaction with the special fees process.

“It doesn’t make sense for the graduate student population to have to pay equally for services that they do not find beneficial,” he said. “Now groups that used to get by on just undergraduate support will have to change their approach.”

Jones admitted that the change would be difficult for some undergraduate groups seeking joint fees.

“It is going to be harder for student groups who try to receive joint fees, including this year, because they have to appeal more vigorously to the graduate student population,” he said. But Jones said that he viewed the amendment as positive because it takes into account the views and preferences of all those involved.

“Historically, graduate students have not been on the radar, or, at the very least, equal attention hasn’t been paid to that demographic,” he said. “But now their vote is going to have equal weight, and I think that is a good change.”

ASSU Senator Patrick Cordova ‘09 said that the amendment could be harmful for some undergraduate groups.

“It will definitely be harder for student groups, without a doubt,” he said. “At this point it means that all student groups need to appeal to a larger audience. And there is certainly some good in that, but some groups really have more of an effect on and are more appropriate for undergraduate students.”

He also said that there has been a recent discussion about whether graduate students who decide not to fund undergraduate groups should be excluded from undergraduate services and events sponsored by those groups.

“One example of something like this is what we do with the Speakers Bureau,” he said. “If you ask for your money back [in the refund process], your ID number goes on a list, and you don’t get tickets.”

Cordova added that the discussion on student group funding is becoming an increasingly heated issue.

“Student groups are beginning to realize that their ability to function is dependent on funding,” he said. “We are seeing that through longer and more complicated special fees elections.”