This semester, the Student Government Association awarded more than $53,000 in allocations to student organizations. The total request for allocations this year was nearly $93,000.
The amount of available SGA funds for allocations decreased this year from the last few semesters. According to Adam Kohler, SGA vice president and political science senior, the funds available for allocation totaled $70,000 – $80,000 in the past.
The larger allocation funds in the past few semesters came from a rollover, Kohler said, of additional funds collected during the Spring I and II semesters. Higher funds were not available for the first time this semester. Kohler said the rollover is almost exhausted, and SGA is operating on a “dollar in, dollar out” basis now.
The SGA budget is funded by student fees collected each semester. Because of the decline in enrollment, SGA has received less funding, Kohler said.
Of the $161,872 SGA budget, $56,553.38 of the budget was for student organization allocations. Student fees generated $139,540, while rollover provided another $22,332.
Organizations were able to appeal the initial allocation amount awarded during the post-allocation period. Ten groups requested appeals, and eight were awarded additional funds.
The number of allocation requests was about the same as previous requests, according to Kohler. The lack of rollover funds was the main difference.
A new addition this semester accompanied the allocations posted Sept. 17. Each organization received a packet describing why it didn’t receive any funds or why the amount awarded was less than requested. In addition to reasons for allocation, descriptions of the code violations were provided.
Elliot Sanchez, SGA president and philosophy senior, said the new addition of violation descriptions to the process was part of an effort to make the process simpler and more transparent, since by its nature it’s a technical process.
SGA also provided a breakdown of the technical parts of codes not stated on the general code violation sheet as well as measures established this semester to cut costs. The creation of the “U” rules occurs whenever SGA is short on money for allocations, Sanchez said.
Fifteen groups received no funds, while three groups received nearly the entire requested amount. Jazz Club received the most, at $7,212, while Etcetera and the Black Student Union received more than $5,000 each.
Sanchez said this year’s process was tough because it was the first time SGA felt the effects of lower budget.
Tara Templeton can be reached at [email protected].
