Earlier this month, Wichita State Esports requested a special meeting with the Student Government Association’s finance commission ahead of the regularly scheduled student fee hearings. Esports’ meeting inspired the finance commission to visit more student fee entities.
“Myself and some of the other leadership on the (finance commission) saw that it was a great opportunity for some of our newer commissioners to see how those entities operate,” saidLuke Bumm, the student body treasurer. “Obviously, you hear about esports, and you hear about certain other entities on campus, but you don’t really know what they do.”
The student fee budget hearings, scheduled for March 2-5, will begin SGA’s process of allocating student fee money to various campus groups.
Bumm said there isn’t enough time for the finance commission to visit every group, so he sent out a survey to the commission to see which entities the commissioners knew the least about. The commission will visit Student Health Services, The Sunflower and HOPE Services.
Because of the large turnaround within the finance commission each year, Bumm said he thinks it’s important to educate the commission about the parts of campus that they will soon recommend funding for.
“Last year I was a finance commissioner myself,” Bumm said. “I wasn’t able to tour any of these entities, and to be honest, some of the first times I heard about some of these entities were during the hearings.”
“The meetings ahead are (about) more of the feeling that you get from how students are affected by the funding that they receive,” Bumm said.
Despite Bumm’s term lasting for the current school year, he said he feels that these visits should become a regular part of the process.
“I really do think in the future that it should be the status quo that all these entities are toured before hearings,” Bumm said.
Editor’s note: The Sunflower is funded through the student fee process. We believe that coverage of the student fee process is integral to students, and we remain committed to unbiased and fair reporting.
