By Dee Richardson//
The newly implemented Student Government Association budget allocation policy has continued to cause frustration in student organizations.
The policy, which requires clubs to attend SGA meetings, was put in place to effectively distribute funds to all student organizations. However, SGA is out of money for clubs again.
According to SGA President Hannah Armstrong, the budget was set for $50,000, which she describes as a “decent chunk” for clubs.
The new attendance policy was designed to improve communication over club funding, Armstrong said.
“It’s helping make sure people aren’t just abusing it, because the people who are requesting are in contact with us and are active,” Armstrong said.
However, after the initial budget requests, clubs were going over budget again. A 36% budget cut has been applied to all clubs, regardless of size.
Queer Student Union (QSU) has decided to cancel Safe Sex Carnival, one of the most popular events that the club hosts each fall semester, because of budget limitations.
The event would have cost $10,000, the club’s entire annual budget, according to QSU treasurer KayKay Redden.
It was not an easy decision for the club. However, QSU will have a general meeting where students can attend and win prizes that they would have won at Safe Sex Carnival, according to QSU President Anna LePlatt.
Redden said she believes that communication between SGA and clubs remains a problem and has not been addressed as effectively as it could have been.
Redden predicts that the new allocation policy will affect how often future clubs will host events. She says she believes events will be less frequent because of how long it takes to get a budget approved.
“There won’t be much excitement as before for some events because the money isn’t there like how it was in previous years,” Redden said.
As for how clubs are managing this huge change, Redden says that all club members can do is take notes, prepare their executive board for the next year and continue from there.
The mandated SGA meetings that student organizations are required to attend have not been easy.
“It feels like the meetings are talking in circles and we can’t get a straightforward answer,” Vice President of Hood College Student Musical Theatre (HCSMT) Briar Weatherhogg said.
HCSMT operates semester by semester for its shows and, with the budget cuts, they can only do shows in the spring.
Weatherhogg said that it feels unfair because there have to be tough decisions about what student organizations can do. However, Weatherhogg reassured that SGA members are trying their best to accommodate these changes and work with everyone.
Armstrong said that attendance of SGA meetings has improved, but it’s still a work in progress.
Armstrong said she sympathizes with QSU for its cancellation of Safe Sex Carnival and acknowledges that a lot of people are disappointed because it was such a huge event.
“It wasn’t on them at all…it was just miscommunication and lack of proper timing of things,” Armstrong said.
Armstrong reiterated that communication is key to the entire process. Club members are now “forced” to speak directly to Armstrong, the dean, and other people involved instead of it being word-of-mouth.
The changes have been challenging. While there are times when people are understanding and respectful during meetings, Armstrong states that there have been other times when she had to be tough with people but, in the end, she believes that it’ll help people grow.
“I just want peace,” Armstrong said.
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