ISU colleges and departments aren’t the only ones suffering from budget cuts. Student organizations are taking a hit as the Government of the Student Body has had to spread funds a little thinner than usual.

This is an issue for all student organizations, but also for multicultural organizations, said Susana Munoz, post-doctorate research associate and Sigma Lambda Gamma sorority adviser.

“One of the problems that I’ve seen historically, specifically for multicultural organizations, are put in a separate pot [for funding],” Munoz said.

Many people in the Latino community on campus have said they feel, when it comes to funding, all the Latino organizations are lumped together as if they were one homogeneous group.

“The issue of which I am most familiar, I have heard that the GSB does tend to regard Latino organizations as one large entity,” said Loreto Prieto, director of the U.S. Latino studies and professor of liberal arts and sciences.

Munoz said these organizations are much more than something to fill students’ time with or to add one more item to a resume. These programs are what help retain students in college and help them graduate.

“Why aren’t we investing more in these organizations?” Munoz said.

Santos Nunez, program coordinator for Multicultural Student Affairs, feels these groups open a door for a learning opportunity.

For the last decade, the Latino population has been the largest racial ethnic group in the United States, Prieto said. As the Latino population continues to grow, universities are going to have to look at their funding priorities.

“Nobody is a bad guy in this situation. I think the GSB works very hard to be fair,” Prieto said. “[However], it doesn’t really reflect sufficient knowledge of the Latino organizations.”

Given the funding that the Latino organizations are provided, Nunez knows that a lot of groups have looked at ways to provide quality programs for a reasonable cost.

“[It] gives organizations a great opportunity to look at collaborating with other organizations both with the Latino community as well as cross culturally,” Nunez said.