The University of Maryland’s Residence Hall Association Senate unanimously approved the creation of a new orientation advisory committee in its first meeting of the spring semester Tuesday.

The final vote was 38-0, with no abstentions.

The resolution, authored by RHA student groups and organizations liaison Steve Chen, calls for the creation of an ad hoc committee for the spring semester that would advise the orientation office on the content of new student orientation and the UNIV100 course.

Chen, a junior biology and independent studies major, described the committee as the next step in communicating student concerns to Gerry Strumpf, director of the orientation office, after the senate called for the implementation of mandatory, in-person sexual assault training at orientation in a resolution last semester.

“Just like our other committees work one-on-one, biweekly with the directors themselves, I wanted to make something similar with the orientation office,” Chen said. “I met with Gerry, and she agreed to sit on some of the meetings or send someone from the orientation office to the others.”

As an ad hoc committee, the orientation advisory committee will require another resolution next semester to maintain its existence.

“We’ll have to see how it goes and if we’re able to accomplish anything meaningful this semester,” Chen said. “If we are, I hope to continue it into the future.”

Also at the meeting, the directors of the Department of Resident Life, Dining Services and the Department of Transportation Services presented their fee proposals for fiscal 2017, which begins July 1.

Resident Life proposed a $266, or 3.98 percent, increase in the room fee for traditional air-conditioned halls, while Dining Services suggested a $161 increase for campus meal plans, up 3.75 percent.

DOTS, meanwhile, proposed a $17 increase to the yearly vehicle permit fee for commuting students and a $33 increase for residential students. Faculty rate increases are planned according to salary level and range from $26 to $62.

The bulk of the new revenue will go to salary and wage adjustments that the departments are required to pay state employees, along with adjustments to employee benefits, the departments’ directors said.

“These are not things that I control myself,” said Resident Life Director Deborah Grandner. “The state tells the system what the salaries need to be for employees of the state.”

Resident Life’s security camera pilot program, endorsed by the RHA Senate last semester, is not contributing to the rate increase.