SGA Adds Changes to Budget

On March 1, SGA Treasurer Michael Baldwin updated his Facebook status.

“People who think the treasurer is ‘mostly done’ after the budget meetings should read the minutes from tonight’s and last week’s meetings,” he wrote.

In the two weeks since the last SGA budget meeting, two student organizations have been dissolved and four have come to the SGA for appropriations, all while the SGA has begun its Senate projects.

The Longboarding Club on campus has ceased to be. As a result, the SGA voted to rescind its appropriations of $743 during the March 1 meeting. Likewise, the International Association for Administrative Professionals has stopped operating on campus after it was learned that it was mostly a professional organization.

Out of about 25 members, two were students. Their appropriation of $680 was rescinded.

“They might start a student chapter in the future,” Baldwin said in an interview. “But as of right now, they are no longer registered with campus involvement.”

Representatives from Chi Alpha failed to appear at both budget meetings in February. They were in the mass appropriations package that was passed, but without representatives, they were left out.

Representatives who showed up at the Feb. 22 meeting explained that the organization leadership had to be re-elected after their president didn’t return to USA this semester. The SGA voted to appropriate them $1,100 to attend a conference.

The Student Veterans Organization, whose members did appear at the appropriations meeting, returned to ask the SGA to reconsider their denial of appropriations on the grounds that they had not been registered with campus involvement for more than three semesters.

During the original appropriations meeting, the representatives misunderstood the parliamentary process and failed to speak on their own behalf.

On Feb. 22, they gave a short presentation for the SGA, asking for appropriations or a Senate project to assist their organization. On March 1, the SGA chose to appropriate the Student Veterans Organization $1,052.

The American Advertising Federation representatives were not asked why they could not attend the appropriations budget meetings, but they were approved for the mass budget package at those meetings, and on March 1 they were approved for their requested $1,740.

The AIDS Awareness Poets did not request funds before the original appropriations meetings, because they mistakenly believed that their organization did not qualify. They have been registered with campus involvement for three semesters and believed that they should have been registered for four semesters. They requested and were approved for $1,650.

In terms of Senate projects, the SGA approved $2,000 for Campus Involvement to purchase a 42” television to be placed in the student center. The television will be used to advertise student organization events and will be free to all organizations on campus. The TV will cost $1,100 while $900 will go to computer services to set up the advertising system.

The USA Rescue Squad also has a Senate project in the works to purchase an electric golf cart that will be used to pick up injured people in the intramural fields. The senate has not yet provided any money, but they have expressed their intent once the Rescue Squad chooses a golf cart and provides a solid price.

According to Baldwin they are currently looking at about $2,500 for the cart and modifications that will be performed by the Engineering Department.