Student clubs could have to pay hundreds of dollars for a license if they opt to show a movie on campus.

The Office of Student Engagement announced a new rule in December that requires clubs to pay for movies before showing them to comply with copyright law. 

All clubs must apply for a license through OSE at least four weeks before the showing time. Otherwise, the college could be at risk of a hefty fine from the motion picture company that owns it.

Library Director Cindy Steinhoff said filmmakers want to recover the money they spent making movies.

The new rule appears in Section 3.3 of the Student Handbook.

In the past, some student clubs have shown movies without buying licenses, which can cost upward of $200.

The African Student Association in December showed the movie, “Four Christmases,” starring Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn. ASA co-founder Rabiyatou Bah said the price was unexpected.

“It was a good chunk,” Bah said. “It was, I think, $400 something, and we only budgeted, I believe, $1,500 for the whole … year. But we probably will end up going back and asking [the Student Government Association] for more money … But it wasn’t expected in our initial budget.”

OSE leadership and involvement specialist Lea Brisbane said at the SGA General Forum in December that clubs can request additional funds when paying for movie licenses. 

Steinhoff said many factors go into renting a movie. The more recent or popular it is, the more it could cost. The prices could also fluctuate, depending on how many people are going to be viewing.