The Student Government Association and University Budget Committee voted to adjust the student fee that goes to the student government to reflect inflation in the last decade. SGA budgets the student fee, which all students pay, to meet the needs of the student body, said SGA president Cade Cypriano, political science senior.

“Basically using consumer-pricing index, it was gauged and raised $10. The change of the fee has increased to $50 a semester per student,” Cypriano said.

“This small increase to increase services that benefits students is reasonable, especially given that it wasn’t raised in 10 years,” said Sal Liberto, vice president of admissions and enrollment.

“In real money it’s not an increase because it’s adjustment based on consumer-price index, so whereas actual number goes up, the impact to students does not because of the fact that its tied to the value of the dollar,” Cypriano said.

The whole of the university budgeting committee voted to approve the fee, which, regularly, student government and all fee-paying departments adjusts to maintain its spending power to provide the same quality of services, Cypriano said.

“The university gives SGA the responsibility to be the stewards of these finances and that gives many students a chance to shape Loyola’s future,” Liberto said.

Cypriano plans to endorse Sarah Cooper, marketing/management junior, because the presidential candidate plans to “ensure that any surplus funds are given directly back to students by increasing the amount of funds budgeted for student organizations.”                 

Cooper said that she will eliminate budget waste to utilize the budget responsibly.

Specifically, Cooper emphasized campus safety.

“I will work with the Department of Public Safety to acquire additional security cameras, increase police patrols and hold regular safety seminars,” Cooper said.

If elected, Cooper will take steps to expand the services that provide the students with money for textbooks, graduate testing and funding academic research initiatives with the student fee surplus.

Music education and music industry studies senior Ashley Shabankareh, the current SGA vice president and candidate for SGA president, said that if she is elected president she “will work towards putting our surplus money from the fee increase towards our student services. This not only includes our most recent creations of the LSAT/MCAT/GRE grant and book subsidy program, but also includes our Richard Frank Grant.”

Additionally, Shabankareh said that she “would also put a portion of this money towards our allocations process which would allow for more programming and more organizations to get money.”

Shabankareh said she also plans to take a portion of this money to create a green fund in an attempt to promote sustainability.

Cypriano said that the “majority of student fees should be allocated to student organizations so students can directly administer how it is spent. A good portion of the other half should be spent on providing vital services to students, specifically to offset the costs of tuition and amenities on campus.”

The SGA surplus fee will take affect next year and will become the responsibility of SGA’s next president.

Stephanie Pawlik can be reached at [email protected].