The Observer, November 30, 2007
Volume XL, Issue 12
USG budget leaves no room for ponies
Of the $333,000 of mass funding requests made this fall, the most notable was the request for a pony rental for Springfest. The Undergraduate Student Government recently passed their budget for the spring 2008 semester. Thirty-five organizations received over $1000, with Footlighters receiving the most funding, at $3500. Cultural organizations received the most funding on average, at $1557 on average, with competitive organizations a close second, at $1348 on average.
It is usually the more visible organizations, who are more active on campus, that receive the most funding. All application figures are on the USG website.
This budget includes many firsts for USG. Most notably, for the first time in USG history, 90 percent of the funding has been allocated outside of USG. Over the past few years, USG has made an attempt to curb internal spending, in order to increase resources for student organizations and co-sponsorship funds.
In the fall of 2004, over $175,000 of requests were submitted by organizations for mass funding. This fall, the amount rose to nearly double that. The funding itself, while increasing slightly, has not risen enough to keep up with all these requests. The median request was $960 this year, and the median allocation was $450. It is encouraging for student groups to know that USG is using more of its budget than ever before to help fund these requests.
In addition, USG just recently moved to a semesterly budgeting system. This will be the first spring budget for the organization. Semesterly budgets allow for more accurate and precise planning. David Gasser, vice president of finance for USG, explained that organizations applied for funding on a semesterly basis already, so it makes budgeting much easier every semester, instead of guessing at how much should be allocated for funding, before even knowing how much students needed or requested. Having a budget every semester also helps the Finance Committee better anticipate where the funding should be allocated, and makes budgeting more accurate. Gasser also explained that spring budgets are often more accurate than fall budgets, because officers of organizations are able to plan their own spending, as opposed to planning those of a successor who may or may not follow through with their ideas.
This is also the first time that USG has budgeted for the executive retreat that takes place the week after classes end in the spring. This retreat happens every year, to help executive officers transition into their roles in USG. The officers use this time to plan for the next year, and review and reflect upon the previous year. In previous years, this retreat was funded through line items that had not been spent. However, the Finance Committee thought it would be a more honest budgeting practice to include it as its own item, instead of revising the budget later.
USG is currently in the appeals process for mass funding. Of the 161 organizations that applied for funding, 156 were recognized and received funding. Three of the five organizations that were not recognized are appealing. The number of organizations on campus is rapidly increasing, with approximately 15 new organizations this semester. Over the past three years, the number of USG-recognized organizations has risen from 113 to 156. Although this increase reflects an increased involvement on campus, it also makes budgeting more difficult. This year, USG was only able to fund one-third of the requests made. Incidentally, the pony rental was not funded in the budget.
