Student Government Association passed the spring semester budget, allocating $45,000 to 67 organizations.
Forty-five members voted in favor and one opposed.
“I’m really pleased,” said Colton Powell, SGA executive treasurer. “There was not any debate, it passed almost unanimously. I think that says a lot about how well the student organizations spend their money and how well they’ve done. I think it’s a pretty fair budget.”
The total amount requested was $94,898.51 ($30,500.96 less than last semester), and 47.42 percent was covered. The average allocated grant was $1,459.98 ($765.54 more than last semester) and the median was $850.00.
In the fall, SGA allocated $50,000 to 72 student organizations, more money than any allocation in the past semesters. The eight organizations that did not request spring funding were: ACU National Society Of Black Engineers, Ad/PR Association, Block and Bridle, Divine Essence, Omega Dance Company, Red Thread, Society of Professional Journalists and the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
Nine organizations received 100 percent of their request: Big Purple Marching Band, BioBuds, Biology Research, Missions Student Association, Student Social Work Association, Weekend Campaigns, Wildcat Reign, Wildcats for Sustainability and Alpha Chi Honors Society.
“We gave less than last semester because on average if you look at the numbers, student organizations spend less in the spring semester than in the fall semester,” Powell said. “We have a certain budget in the office, and we’re giving more to student organizations than ever before.”
Collegiate Entrepreneurs Association, despite typically being the most funded organization, ranked second after the Office of Multicultural Affairs, receiving $5,446.81.
OMA received $8,106.94 divided into six subgroups: African Students Association received $797.12, Black Students Union received $1,985.53, Hispanos Unidos received $867.26, International Students Association received $3,423.95, Chinese Scholars and Students Association received $473.30 and Third Culture Kids received $559.78.
Powell said the organizations were funded under the same branch, OMA, because there were many events involving multiple groups.
“Instead of having to decide exactly how much money we’re going to give each of those organizations, we added up what they would be getting and put it into one lump sum,” Powell said. “We’re letting OMA decide how much money is going to be allocated for each of those organizations. We think by doing this, we were going to maximize their spending efficiency and be easier for them and give them a lot more flexibility.”
The Student Panel of Undergraduate Research (SPUR) received the third highest allocation at $2,339.38. Fourth highest was FilmFest at $2,200, and fifth was the Shinnery Review at $1,477.38.
Last semester, about 88 percent ($44,000) of all funds were spent compared to 78 percent the fall before. Powell and Kevin Shurtz, the chief financial officer of SGA, created a new system to allocate funds based on members, campus involvement and how much each group makes a name for ACU outside of the university. The duo used a mathematical equation to ensure fair allocation among groups including:
- Reliability: how reliable with past funds
- Modesty: how feasible their requests are
- Engagement: how many members they serve
- Consistency: how closely a projected grant resembles past allocations
“We’re looking forward to a good year and the big thing is we’re hoping that we show the numbers in the beginning as how much more efficiently spent the money was last semester than it was in the fall semester of 2017. Organizations are spending a lot better and we thing that has to do with the process we’ve put into place and we hope we continue to see that,” Powell said.
The meeting lasted about 45 minutes with no amendments.
