The Student Association is taking steps to ensure that students will vote on a fee increase before the final day of undergraduate classes, officials said.

If students approve the initiative, the fee students pay to the SA would increase to $30 for undergraduate students and $20 for graduate students per semester. The SA voted to allow the referendum at last week’s meeting after several weeks of heated debate.

Incoming SA Senate Rules Committee Chair Sen. Kevin Kozlowski (ESIA-U) said he is confident the SA executive and the senate can work together to schedule a vote for before May 2.

“This is something that needs to be done as soon as possible,” said Kozlowski, a sophomore.

The fee now calls for students to pay $1 per credit hour per semester, which averages to about $30 per year. If approved, the fee would only affect incoming students and is likely to take two years to implement, said freshman Jason Scheinthal, senior council to SA President Lamar Thorpe.

The Joint Elections Committee will make the final decision on the date of the vote.

The Rules Committee met Wednesday to approve nominees to the JEC. Once approved by this year’s senate, which is slated to meet for the final time Thursday night, the committee will set the date for a special election.

The Rules Committee voted on sophomore Andrew Cooper and junior Elliot Bell-Krasner for the JEC, Rotella said. The two will join juniors Alex Scott and Riki Parikh and senior Morgan Corr, all of whom were members of the JEC for the general election, Rotella said.