By Kelsi Peace, Managing Editor
Congress passed the Spring 2008 Budget with 31 votes supporting and two opposing, appropriating about $55,500 to student organizations.
The groups’ budget is down from about $60,500 last semester; however, organizations spent about $35,400, or about 59 percent of the money appropriated.
As money goes down slightly and the number of student organizations increases, SA is transitioning from its past spending to new criteria.
“We’re kind of in an awkward semester right now,” executive treasurer Kevan Kirksey said.
The Spring 2008 Budget contains new line items, among them a $13,000 campus activities fund and a $1,250 spiritual formation budget for newly appointed chaplain Nathan McKenzie.
The campus activities fund could cover large, campuswide events, including HBO’s Def Poetry Jam or a graduation speaker, Kirksey said.
“They’re going to be pretty large events that cost quite a bit of money,” he said.
Also included in the budget is a $2,500 fund for SA conferences, which remained untouched last semester.
“It’s not going to be like it was in the past,” Kirksey told Congress, adding that now Congress members must take an active interest in registering before SA will commit to a conference.
This semester, Kirksey and Spencer Hemphill, chief financial officer, opted to allow groups to meet with them at the organization’s discretion. In the past, a meeting with the treasurer or chief financial officer was mandatory for groups seeking SA funds.
Both men said groups with complicated budgets that chose not to meet with them did not receive funds for events or items that were unclear, and ultimately, hurt themselves.
As SA seeks to alter its budget, Hemphill said the organization aims to fund more school-wide, service-oriented events and organizations. But with student organizations increasing each semester and the student activity fee taking a hit from lower registration, less money is available. This semester, SA granted 37 percent of the $150,800 requested. Total revenue, including the Fall 2007 rollover, was $156,000 and includes the $35 from each student’s activity fee.
“We’re looking at how the mission of the organization aligns with the mission of the university,” Hemphill said.
Chief development officer Matt Greenberg agreed.
“We try to fund any event that is open to the community,” he told Congress as it reviewed each request in the budget.
After reviewing the 42 budgets tentatively granted to student organizations, Congress only took issue with the $3.50 granted to new organization Student Peace Alliance for markers and a lack of support for Jack Pope Fellows’ conference in light of the Students in Free Enterprise’s (SIFE) fully funded national conference.
Congress approved Rep. Charles Gains’ motion to strike the $3.50 from the Student Peace Alliance Budget, agreeing that regulations must remain the same across the board. SA does not grant funds for advertising supplies because the SA office will supply them for free.
Senior senator Hallie Roberts voiced concerns over the $3,000 granted to Jack Pope Fellows, a public service organization that requested about $6,900. Rep. Brandon Smith is a member of the organization, and spoke on its behalf.
Congress rejected Roberts’ motion to strike the $500 office repair budget and move the funds to Jack Pope Fellows, calling the SA office “too fancy.”
Kirksey told Congress the office improvement budget was set based on last semester’s costs.
Congress also rejected Rep. Gaines’ motion to transfer $100 from the office maintenance budget to Jack Pope Fellows. Next week, the group is on the docket to request money from the new student request fund for airfare. Congress unofficially agreed to entertain a request from the group for more money at that time.
“Any group has the opportunity to go before [Appropriations] or Congress,” Kirksey said.
-SA BUDGET AT A GLANCE-
* Revenue: $156,000
* XO Scholarships: $15,039
* AO Scholarships: $5,388.99
* C.A.O Scholarship: $1,879
* Operational expenses: $4,971
* Student organization budget
requests: $55,449.21
* Total Expenses: $85,631.87
