Some student organizations on campus worry they may lose members or have to charge joiner fees, following the Student Government Association’s allocation process which assigns organization funding.
Two weeks ago, SGA voted on its budget allocations to student organizations for the 2024-2025 school year, which totaled $275,000. Student organizations asked for nearly $600,000 altogether.
Every student organization received less than what they asked for, with 20 groups getting less than half of their request.
GROUP REACTIONS
Model United Nations received $12,000, more than they have received in previous years, but the group originally asked for nearly $54,000.
“Up until 2020, we were getting $20,000 a year,” said Alexandra Middlewood, department chair for political science and faculty adviser for Model UN.
The group asked for enough funding to cover one of the conferences they plan to attend.
“So in previous years, we have asked for the amount to cover both conferences,” Middlewood said. “Student government just hasn’t ever given us that, which is fine; they have limited resources.”
The allocations that the group received will cover less than half of their spring conference.
Due to insufficient funding, Middlewood has had to start looking at group numbers, and limit how many students can participate.
“We were getting $20,000 a year when we had 12 to 15 students participating,” Middlewood said. “This year, we have 30 students participating, and we got $12,000. We have grown every year since 2020, and they still cut our budget every year.”
Middlewood said this means that the group will have to rely on more fundraising and the political science department to chip in more funds.
Middlewood said she’s also facing the possibility of charging students a fee to join Model UN.
“I don’t want to have that (fee), because that creates that financial barrier for students to be able to participate,” Middlewood said. “Without the funds to be able to have everyone who wants to join, I’m facing these really difficult questions.”
Other organizations face similar questions to Model UN. Some groups received no funding from SGA.
IMPACTED BY LACK OF FUNDING
Kendah Ballout, the president of the Artist Exploration Association, said her group primarily uses funding from SGA to get art supplies that aren’t offered in the Ulrich. This year, they requested $1,350 and received nothing.
SGA has a $1,500 minimum to be considered for appropriations.
The group is looking at going through the organizational funding process. This process is a different way for groups to get money from SGA, in which they can request up to $3,000.
MEMBERSHIP IMPACT
Due to the confusion with funding, the organization has had to push off its first meeting of the semester, which will likely impact membership, Ballout said.
“Smaller organizations are going to be hit the most by the appropriations and disorganization,” Ballout said. “Not that I have anything against SGA. I know that they’re allocated a certain amount of funds and don’t have control over how much money they receive, but throughout all of this, it’s best to keep in mind that its small organizations being impacted the most.”
The Intersectional Student Leftist Association also received zero funds, as they requested less than $1,500.
Jared Amborski is the group’s treasurer. Amborski said the lack of funding will likely impact the growth of the group.
“That goes for us and any group really,” Amborski said. “Without support from the university, the Student Government Association and administration as a whole, groups on campus can’t thrive.”
As a former member of the SGA Finance Committee and a current treasurer for ISLA, Amborski said he can see both the perspectives of SGA and student organization leaders.
“It’s really easy being on that side of the table (with SGA) and being like, ‘Oh my God, the (student orgs) are so needy,’ and then now being on the other side, like, ‘SGA just doesn’t care about us,’” Amborski said. “Neither is true; we’re just trying to do the best we can.”
