2008 Woodie Awards
Budget cuts hit clubs hard
Student Senate slashes funds from various groups, blames inflated student estimates
Kara Apel
Staff Writer
Issue date: 2/28/08 Section: News
More than $80,000 was cut from undergraduate organizations' budgets for the 2008-2009 fiscal year in a bill passed by the Student Senate Wednesday.
The Student Senate passed the bill with a unanimous vote.
Megan Womack, chair of the Finance Committee, said the office of Student Life gives the Senate Finance Committee the money to work with, and gave less this fiscal year.
Nancy Derrick, the business manager for Student Life, said the reason for the cut was based on projections of enrollment.
"In the past year the projection was too high. We had to bring that number lower," Derrick said. "That means there's less money distributed in general."
Student Body Treasurer Alesha Brown, a third-year political science student, said the decline in the money available for undergraduate organizations was drastic.
"The overall amount they had to work with was cut dramatically," Brown said.
Brown said she tried to schedule another appeal date for student organizations to argue cases for more money, but was turned down.
Eight organizations appealed their budgets on one appeal date on Feb. 13.
The number of organizations receiving less than $1,000 went from 20 last fiscal year to 37 this fiscal year. The number of organizations receiving $5,000 or more went from 15 to seven.
The Senate Finance Committee allocated the money with recommendations from the Allocations Committee. Derrick and Womack both said the money allocated depended on the organization's type, quality and impact on the student body. It also depended upon the organization's use of money within the past three years and how much money the organization asked for.
Several organizations received large budget cuts, including the Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian and Straight Alliance, whose budget was reduced by more than $5,000.
BGLSA President Owen McKagen, a third-year business student, was very displeased with the first budget presented.
"After the first budget came out, as President of BGLSA, I felt insulted," McKagen said.
The Student Senate passed the bill with a unanimous vote.
Megan Womack, chair of the Finance Committee, said the office of Student Life gives the Senate Finance Committee the money to work with, and gave less this fiscal year.
Nancy Derrick, the business manager for Student Life, said the reason for the cut was based on projections of enrollment.
"In the past year the projection was too high. We had to bring that number lower," Derrick said. "That means there's less money distributed in general."
Student Body Treasurer Alesha Brown, a third-year political science student, said the decline in the money available for undergraduate organizations was drastic.
"The overall amount they had to work with was cut dramatically," Brown said.
Brown said she tried to schedule another appeal date for student organizations to argue cases for more money, but was turned down.
Eight organizations appealed their budgets on one appeal date on Feb. 13.
The number of organizations receiving less than $1,000 went from 20 last fiscal year to 37 this fiscal year. The number of organizations receiving $5,000 or more went from 15 to seven.
The Senate Finance Committee allocated the money with recommendations from the Allocations Committee. Derrick and Womack both said the money allocated depended on the organization's type, quality and impact on the student body. It also depended upon the organization's use of money within the past three years and how much money the organization asked for.
Several organizations received large budget cuts, including the Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian and Straight Alliance, whose budget was reduced by more than $5,000.
BGLSA President Owen McKagen, a third-year business student, was very displeased with the first budget presented.
"After the first budget came out, as President of BGLSA, I felt insulted," McKagen said.
Viewing Comments 1 - 8 of 14
xevia
posted 2/28/08 @ 1:24 AM EST
Something doesn't smell right. The budget cuts were based on projected enrollment, but didn't the university enact a program to allow more students to enter the institution during the Spring term? Of course all the furloughed students will not attend, but proportion is expected? Is it more than the number that typically enter during the time?
Also, another problem with SGA allocating funds relates to graduate organizaitons. (Continued…)
Jonathan
Angry Student
posted 2/28/08 @ 1:54 AM EST
I think the cuts in the budgets are ridiculous!!! One of the organizations that I am a member of only received about 6% of the budget we asked for. That 6% will get us nothing! We are a viable organization here on campus that not only represents this University across the state but also recruits for the University. (Continued…)
Alisa
posted 2/28/08 @ 9:29 AM EST
Hi. If someone can send me the names of the organizations and the contact person, I would like to share some information with them relating to how they can fund their own organization. (Continued…)
NO MONEY
posted 2/28/08 @ 12:23 PM EST
The Senate Finance Committee is not who students should complain about. The Finance Committee only has a limited amount given to them and all of it is allocated for the students' use. (Continued…)
Disgruntled
posted 2/28/08 @ 1:44 PM EST
Try getting nothing at all. How can an organization operate without funds?
t
posted 2/28/08 @ 8:23 PM EST
Don't blame SG or the Finance Committee... or even Alesia in this case (for once). Complain to Jerry Brewer or Dennis Pruitt about the allocation of activity fees to other areas which is generally where the money comes from. (Continued…)
Frank
posted 2/29/08 @ 1:18 PM EST
I was reading the articles....Why does the BGLSA need that large of a budget to begin with? What do they do socially that needs that large of an allocation. (Continued…)
SGA Accountability
posted 3/07/08 @ 12:24 AM EST
The SGA that THIS student body elected are ultimately the ones responsible for being a liaison with university officials that are in charge of allocating and dispensing funds. (Continued…)
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