As the school year commences, organizational leaders are planning ahead.

What events will you see from them on campus this year depends largely on the budgets they receive from Student Government Association’s allocations.

The economy this year has student leaders anxious and awaiting to see if their budgets and campus programming will be adversely affected.

University Programming Board is ahead of the game since we receive our budget out of the Office of Co-Curricular Programs.

We have already been informed of how much money we have for the current fiscal year.
Looking at what we have been allotted in the past in comparison to this year, there will be some visible cuts.

We have decreased our contract with the provider of our movies and cut some costs. 
We recognize that co-programming is a positive and necessary aspect of programming at Loyola to aid in decreasing an organization’s costs.

A great example of this will be seen this Friday, Sept. 18, as UPB, the Panhellenic Association and Inter-Fraternity Council come together with Res Life and SGA to host the first Third Friday of the year.

This event resulted out of the cancellation of Greek Week last spring and happens to fit perfectly with the food, entertainment and activities consistent with the Third Friday event series.

Co-programming was the solution to the problem in this situation, but I urge clubs and organizations on campus to be proactive and plan ahead.

With a budget likely to be seen at Tuesday’s SGA senate meeting, talk to your senators and let them know the importance of the allocations aspect of the budget and even consider attending senate meetings.

If your organization is nervous about receiving funding for something, look to similar organizations or ones with similar events.

This gives increased security when applying for allocations because you then have more student involvement and interest in what you’re trying to plan or at least another organization to help you find funding.

Here are the two most important tips for you to make sure your organization will not to be hindered by allocations or the economy this year.

One would be to co-program and utilize students and organizations that have a common cause or link with your organization.

Know your senate and familiarize yourself with the allocations process to make sure you don’t lose money over technicalities.

If our organizations and student leaders step up and work together, I do not foresee the economy having any effect on campus programming and student life at Loyola.

Courtney Mattison is a mass communication sophomore. She can be reached at [email protected]

In My Opinion is a weekly column open to any Loyola student. Those who are interested can email letter @loyno.edu