Editors note: The headline was updated to ‘priorities and criteria’ rather than concerns.
Student Government reviewed their funding priorities and criteria for the upcoming fiscal year during a Senate meeting Wednesday evening.
The document outlines the guidelines for funding requests, including funding tiers for organizations. The tiers can be student government partnered, sponsored, funding eligible or ineligible.
Nathan Pick, senior assistant director of sports programs, attended the meeting and touched on specific recommendations for funding clubs, mostly sports clubs.
“Sports clubs have about 39 different clubs, student government funds right around $150,000 last fiscal year, but total expenses for all of our sports clubs was right around $750,000,” Pick said. “There are several items on P’s and C’s document that would greatly help reduce costs for all these clubs. We’re not looking for a handout because these clubs have significant dues. They go out and fundraise significant events, obviously have to make up over $600,000 collectively for all their expenses.”
Some of the items mentioned by Pick that are funding ineligible include building rentals, lodging, food expenses, referees, judges, instructors, etc.
In response, Sen. Jake Snyder requested that the priorities and criteria bill be sent back to the finance committee and tabled until the next meeting.
Finance Director Evan Martinez, a junior in political science, and several other finance committee members stressed the amount of time taken while making the priorities and criteria list. Pushing the bill back will also set back the timeline for the annual allocation process.
“During the process the finance committee just had, reviewing the priorities and criteria document, we talked extensively about the list, and we had a conversation about each and every single one of them,” Martinez said.
Snyder and several others, including Sen. Erik Rolwes, a junior studying industrial design, emphasized the importance of listening to the people that the Senate represents.
“There might not be a lot of changes but I don’t see a lot of harm in taking an extra look with bringing some clubs or extra knowledge into account,” Rolwes said.
The bill was tabled in a 21-6-3 vote.
“I’d love to get more introduction for this process; I know you guys worked hard for it, but I really think we need to go over a couple of things,” Snyder said. “Just because it has precedent doesn’t mean it belongs.”
Additional measures
The Puerto Rican Student Association received $1,357 to fund Puerto Rican Night from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Feb. 8, in the Great Hall.
Suryansh Mishra, a senior in environmental engineering, was confirmed as the non-profit coordinator.
Sen. Abhiraj Agarwal, a sophomore in supply chain management, and Sen. Noah Kammeyer, a junior studying political science, were both seated on the rules committee.
In addition, Sen. Lauren Neal, a junior in community and regional planning, was seated on the local affairs committee.