By Beth Goodbaum
The Student Government Association (SGA) received $30,000 to distribute to University clubs and organizations. The grant came earlier this month, when SGA members and representatives from the crew team met with University officials to discuss the need for funding for the sports team.
Heather Gibbons, president of SGA, said there are several campus organizations that submitted requests for allowances that were previously denied.
In the process of obtaining funds for the University crew team, SGA was granted the sum of $30,000 to provide money to other clubs on campus that are in financial need.
“The crew club was a good example of an organization that (illustrates) our need for funds,” Gibbons said.
SGA Senator Bradley Smallberg said the money is coming from fees that would normally be paid for by SGA, such as the University’s Guide to Pride. This year, instead of using SGA funds to pay for the publication of the book, the expense will be taken out of the campus life budget.
“We wanted SGA to use the money for clubs and new organizations,” Holly Seirup, the vice president for campus life, said. “We looked at the money they were spending [on the Guide to Pride] and realized that it was a big expense.”
After consideration, the money was refunded to SGA to use for clubs.
Before SGA received funding, a potential resolution was brought to Senate, which would raise the campus activity fee for each University student to $100.
Gibbons said that despite the proposal, a hike in the activities fee would be a last resort for SGA.
“As a student I know that raising the fee would be a financial burden and as far as SGA goes, we would not raise the fee unless there are financial restraints,” she said.
Even if SGA is forced to raise the activity fee for each student, the increase would be kept to a minimum.
“I would argue that there would only be a $10 to $20 increase,” Gibbons said.
Keith Lovejoy, a member of the crew team, expressed his gratitude for the funds allotted to his club by SGA.
“This year we’ve had a lot of expenses and I am happy with the funding we have now,” Lovejoy said. “SGA was very generous with giving us the money that we needed.”
Not all club representatives are pleased with the funds they have received. Aliya Alidina, the junior president of the South
Asian Student Association (SASA), said her organization has had difficulty receiving funds and approvals from SGA.
“We have been having problems with SGA, they only gave us $500.00 for the year,” she said.
Nadia Kahnauth, the president of SASA, expressed her disappointment with the amount of funding.
“As the president of a small club, I expected to receive less than other larger organizations out there, but I was disappointed with the amount we received for the year,” she said.
Kahnauth also said she feels some of the smaller clubs are being denied sufficient funds.
“It’s hard for small clubs like mine to get our name out there, because larger clubs that receive more money usually have more to offer students, who end up becoming members,” she said. “It makes it difficult for us to expand without money.”
Nate Joslin, a senior who has been involved with several organizations on campus such as Font, Hall Council and the Filmmakers Club, said there is an imbalance in the way clubs are being funded.
“Some clubs are definitely getting more money than others,” Joslin said.
While Hall Council receives plenty of money, other groups such as the Filmmakers Club receive “the low end of funding,” he said
SGA senator Bradley Smallberg said with the new budget, there should be less of a problem allotting funds.
“I plan to go back and get an extra $30,000,” he said. “We (SGA) are very grateful to Holly Seirup and President Rabinowitz for this allowance, because no amount of money is too little.”