The Georgetown University Student Association’s reform of the Student Activities Fee and Endowment passed this morning after a three-day student body referendum, overhauling the amount and allocation of the charge for the first time since 2001.

Under the new system, the $100 Student Activities Fee will see a gradual hike, first to $125 next academic year, and later to $150 starting the 2012-2013 school year.

Though the charge is now diverted equally to club funding and an endowment originally intended to provide clubs with sustainability in the long term, next fall will mark a change in allocation – 100 percent of the Student Activities Fee will be devoted to funding for clubs and activities at Georgetown. The Student Activities Endowment will no longer accrue any revenue from the fee.

By doubling the current allocation for next fall’s funding, several GUSA leaders believe the impact will be substantial.

“[In my time with GUSA] I think this is the single biggest initiative that has passed . I selfishly am sad that I won’t be here to witness it,” GUSA Vice President Jason Kluger (MSB ’11) said.

Adding to the sentiment, GUSA Senate Speaker Adam Mortillaro (COL ’12) said the effects of the overhaul would be wide-reaching.

“The students of Georgetown have spoken clearly to take the Hilltop community further,” Mortillaro said. “[SAFE reform] will enhance and improve the quality of student life at Georgetown.”

The Student Activities Endowment, which will receive no funding from the fee as of next fall, was instated in 2001 by a GUSA-initiated student body vote. Ushered in with the $100 Student Activities Fee, the endowment was originally intended to hit $10 million dollars by now. Today, however, it remains stagnant at $2 million, according to members of the GUSA Finance and Appropriations Committee, who attribute the lagging growth of the endowment to the university reneging on a promise to contribute $3 million when the referendum passed.

Fin/App Committee Chair Greg Laverriere (COL ’12) said GUSA plans on working out the future of the endowment sometime this spring, potentially during the Spring Budget Summit. “It’s going to take a longer discussion. Next semester we’ll start looking into that,” he said.

At the Budget Summit, GUSA plans to determine the level of funding each advisory board will receive, according to Laverriere.

The Election Commission reported 1,703 students – about 70 percent of voters – clicked “yes” in the online poll that launched shortly before 10 p.m. Monday and closed at midnight this morning. The final tally of 2,446 votes surpassed the predetermined 2,000-vote threshold needed to validate the referendum’s outcome.

GUSA leaders attributed the turnout and victory both to their own campaigning and to student groups. GUSA members could be seen flyering in high-traffic areas like O’Donovan Hall and Lauinger Library over the past few days. Many student groups sent out messages to their membership encouraging them to vote in the referendum.

Students had mixed feelings about the effectiveness of GUSA’s campaign, however.

\”I doubt I would have heard about it had GUSA not pushed for it,\” Malin Hu (SFS ’11) said.\”It seemed there was a reasonable case for increasing the fee [so I voted for it].\”

But Youngho Chun (SFS ’13) said that he had not been aware of the proposed fee overhaul. \”I didn’t open the emails they sent,\” he said, adding that voting in person would have been more effective. \”None of my friends talked about it, I didn’t really know about it.\”

Campaign Manager Fitz Lufkin (COL ’11) said he believes the results are only the beginning of greater changes for student groups.

“It’s a victory for ideas, a paradigm shift . [Clubs] can now stop thinking how to get by .” he said.

“The influx of money has an unknown potential to benefit student life,” Fin/App Committee Vice Chairman Colton Malkerson (COL ’13) added. Fin/App Chair Laverriere also stated that the increase in funding would open doors to improved speakers, facilities, and concerts, drawing more prospective students to the Hilltop.

“I really look forward to seeing what the leaders of organizations look to do with this,” Lufkin said.

One of the driving forces behind the reform in his capacity as chair of the Fin/App Committee, Laverriere stressed the change that would come from this referendum. “Students will see an immediate effect.”