All student organizations have moved off-campus, and the funds originally budgeted for these groups cannot be spent. However, they will not be penalized for any unused funds.

“Student organizations will not be penalized for not using their remaining funds for the semester” said Aaron Bunting, SGA executive treasurer.

After going online, many events that were planned by these student organizations had to cancel. These events were in the budget for these organizations to spend funds on, causing worry that these unused funds may result in penalizations for these organizations.

In March, the CDC started limiting groups to 50 people, and as COVID-19 spread, the limit was then dropped to 10 people. This forced events for clubs and other organizations to be canceled, whether they were on campus or not.

Bunting said that organizations get a budget to spend each year, and through the rest of the semester, organizations will still be able to use their funding to purchase items. Several cabinet members of these organizations are still located in Abilene, giving them easier access to the p-cards to use for necessary purchases.

“Many organizations are rising to the challenge of the new online format, from moving officer elections online to hosting zoom call events,” said Lauren Wasson, SGA President, “Student organizations continue to maintain connection, communication and community with their membership as much as possible in this time.”

Clubs are hosting formals via zoom, and other organizations are getting creative as well during this historic period for students.

Many students are looking at the future very optimistically and Wasson is hopeful that this upcoming fall will be the best yet for student organizations.