Before students follow the advice to “Fill out University refund request,” it would be wise to find out the purpose of the fee and what the student loses with a refund.

The Student Organization Resource Fee (SORF) funds the Student Legal Services, Tenant Union and programs sponsored by hundreds of registered student organizations.

If you get a SORF refund, you cannot use Student Legal Services for advice or court representation. If you get a traffic ticket or an underage drinking ticket or your landlord sues you, you’re going to need a lawyer. The family friend who freely gives your parents off-the-cuff legal advice about your problem is rarely willing to drive to Champaign-Urbana to actually appear in court for you. If you have to pay a private attorney, that will cost you at least $200 per hour.

That’s the real cost of getting a $14 SORF refund. At Tenant Union, where I work, every year we have some clients whose problems end up in court. When that happens, Tenant Union refers the student to Student Legal Services, unless the student got a SORF refund.

It breaks my heart to see a student lose a battle with an unfair landlord because the student can’t get a lawyer after taking a SORF refund. Too often students who take SORF refunds don’t even know what SORF is. If you think Tenant Union and Student Legal Services are valuable services, please don’t take a SORF refund. A refund prevents you from using the services, and without SORF funds, neither service would exist.