To address rising operational costs and a growing number of student organizations, the Office of Student Affairs (OSA) and Samahan ng Mga Mag-aaral ng Pamantasang Ateneo de Davao (SAMAHAN) Central Board have proposed to double the SAMAHAN fee and the Student Activities Fee (SAF) for the upcoming academic year.

Under the proposal, the SAMAHAN Fee would increase from PHP 100 to PHP 200 per semester, while the SAF would rise from PHP 250 to PHP 500.

SAMAHAN Treasurer Mickyla Almadin shared that the current budget is no longer sufficient to fund events and initiatives, as it has been 13 years since the SAMAHAN Fee was last adjusted, and inflation and the rising cost of materials, logistics, and services have increased significantly.

“When we compared our fees with other Jesuit schools like AdMU, AdNU, and XU — where students already pay around PHP 150 or more per semester — it became clear that even a modest increase to PHP 200 would allow SAMAHAN to do much more for our bigger student population without putting too much of a burden on each individual.”

For the SAMAHAN fee, PHP 50 will go to the clusters, PHP 20 will be allocated to BUKLOD Atenista to support the delegation of ambassadors, and the remaining PHP 130 to fund SAMAHAN’s university-wide events and operations, including its 13 departments and four offices.

SAMAHAN President Hannah Aquino said AdDU continues to collect one of the lowest student government fees among Jesuit universities, which strengthens the need to let constituents understand why such adjustments are necessary.

“Adjusting the fee of any other office takes a long time. There should be consultations to make the students involved and aware of the plan of their student government. But, it is a process that we are willing to take if it means improving the services that will be provided to the students… Anything that has to do with a fee adjustment, especially an increase, will not always be taken lightly.”

According to Aquino, a three-phase consultation process was conducted prior to the proposal.

These include consultations with cluster councils and student organizations, a public forum open to all students of higher education, and a follow-up meeting with cluster representatives to address concerns raised during the forum.

Aquino noted that while there was no objection to the fee hike’s intent, questions were raised about the amount and allocation of the increase.

To further address this, Aquino said SAMAHAN is proposing the creation of a Students’ Needs and Services Department (SNSD) to ensure long-term support and student engagement.

“The proposed budget increase will significantly contribute to the long-term sustainability of these efforts by ensuring that key programs and services are not only maintained but also continuously improved and scaled. This investment allows SAMAHAN to move away from one-time, ad hoc initiatives toward a more stable, structured, and future-oriented approach to student support—ensuring that the needs of the student body are met, not just today, but in the years to come.”

The SAMAHAN handles the breakdown of the SCB fee and is subject to the approval of the Commission on Audit and verification by the University Finance Office, while the OSA manages the breakdown of the SAF.

An online survey on the proposed fee adjustment was conducted from April 21 to 23, followed by a referendum on May 19, and a consultative forum on June 20 via Zoom.

If approved, the proposed increase will add to the University’s miscellaneous fees, on top of the separate 4% tuition hike also eyed for Academic Year 2025–2026.