About HEIF

What is HEIF?

The Humboldt Energy Independence Fund, also known by it's acronym "H.E.I.F.", is a concept championed by students whereby student fee money collects into a fund that is then available for sustainability projects on the Cal Poly Humboldt campus. Over the life of the fund (started in 2007), it has evolved from it's original intent to fund solely energy independence (e.g. energy generation) projects to now include other projects that have potential for positive natural resource, sustainability, or carbon impacts. Projects the fund has paid for in the past include a small solar array, lighting upgrades, water bottle refill stations, and compost bins, among many others. Over it's lifetime, HEIF has employed a significant number of students who have generally worked on various elements of project proposals.

How is HEIF funded?

HEIF is funded via student instructionally related activities (IRA) fees, at a rate of $13.41 per semester for students enrolled in 6+ units. Read more about Humboldt student fees at https://studentfinancialservices.humboldt.edu/fall-term-2019.

Who is responsible for administering and managing the fund?

Facilities Management is responsible for managing and administering the fund, with the Associate Vice President (AVP) of Facilities Management designated as the ultimate authority for the fund by the President of the University. A governance committee of majority students (membership is comprised of five students, three ex-officio staff, and one faculty member) discusses and votes on matters, thereby making recommendations to the AVP for action. 

A service level agreement was put in place in February 2018 whereby HEIF pays roughly $45k per year for services rendered to administer and manage the fund. Staff deliver a range of services to the fund, including student supervision and mentoring, fiscal and budget administration, and project management, among others. With an estimated revenue of approximately $180k per year, roughly 25% is used for administration.

The Story of HEIF: A History

HEIF was first proposed in concept by Michael Winkler in 2001 and put to a vote by students in 2004 when it passed with an 86% approval rating. At that time however, Chancellor Reed of the CSU vetoed implementation because no additional student fees were being implemented. With the support of President Rollin Richmond in 2007, HEIF was finally implemented and the first proposals were submitted and awarded a year later in 2008.

In the beginning, HEIF primarily functioned as a "grant-making" body, wherein students put forth proposals and assisted with implementation when they were awarded funds. During this time, the primary demographic of students involved were those with technical knowledge and experience in energy (many were ERE students). Over time, an effort was made to create a mechanism to include a broader range of students in HEIF. Accordingly, the concept of "idea papers" came into being in 2010-2011, such that anyone with any level of experience could submit a high level idea that was not required to be fully fleshed out. The Committee would consider these ideas, then hire students for the next phase, which entailed gathering and collating logistics information about what it would take to make these high-level ideas real. This was the advent of what we now call the "Development phase", where students are hired to take ideas submitted by other students and produce feasibility studies for presentation back to the HEIF Committee. Results from Development have also been called "schematic design" or "proof of concept". At the end of Development, the Committee votes and makes recommendations about which projects should be funded and move to implementation. 

In 2018, the Development Phase was restructured with significant feedback from Committee members to include a greater level of training, structure, and feedback. The intent of this overhaul was to create more structured and consistent training opportunities for students serving in the Development Phase, flag potential problems earlier on in the project process, create a more consistent mechanism for Facilities Management to interface with students (re: trades experts, construction managers, designers/architects, etc), and to develop deliverables that could be taken to implementation more easily.

At this time, Development is the phase where students have a high level of impact and opportunity to be significantly involved in HEIF projects. There are currently not opportunities for students to draw up construction documents, install projects, or monitor results but HEIF hopes that in the future and with a greater level of proven success, these may become student opportunities. 

Governance

Read about governance on our HEIF Committee page. 

HEIF Mission Statement

To create a more sustainable campus by promoting energy independence

Goals of HEIF

To create a more sustainable campus by promoting energy independence

The five primary goals of the HEIF

  • The HEIF will achieve its mission through projects that are developed by students and, to the extent possible, implemented, monitored, and maintained with strong student involvement.

  • The HEIF will require accountability by measuring and reporting quantitative and qualitative results, as well as levels of involvement by students and other participants, in all its projects.

  • The HEIF will strive to make its projects derive from and be connected to the curriculum of the university.

  • The HEIF will support the dissemination of information about its projects through public outreach and educational activities.

  • The HEIF will seek to publicize accomplishments and experiences associated with its program and projects through a variety of media.