Out of the $98 that students pay to the Student Government each semester, the largest portion is allocated to student organizations, which received $52.21 per student or $1,781,726.38 in total for the 2025 fiscal year.
Within this second part of the cent-by-cent breakdown series, the allocations to student organizations are explained.
“In my opinion, one of the most important things the Student Government does is ensures that student organizations can host events, can travel, can do all sorts of really cool things, because we’re a student organization as well… I think that’s one of the biggest reasons in which the Student Government is here,” Vice President Will Vlasek, a senior majoring in agricultural systems technology, said.
The student organization fee of $52.21 per student per semester is broken up into four subcategories:
1. $39.59 to Student-Led Entertainment
2. $7.13 to Athletic Clubs
3. $3.45 to Student Involvement
4. $2.04 to Student and Community Support
The largest section, student-led entertainment, is anything a student can do or see on Iowa State’s campus. Organizations such as the Rodeo Club, Performing Arts Council, Trend Magazine and Homecoming Central fall under the entertainment category.
The organization that receives the most funding from the Student Government is the Student Union Board (SUB), which is responsible for organizing Cyclone Cinema and hosts concerts and comedians on campus. The SUB received $261,257 out of the allocated $1,351,206.32 for student-led entertainment for FY 2025.
While this monetary amount may seem large for one organization, SUB Vice President of Administration Luke Juffer provided attendance numbers to prove the allocation is justified.
During the 2024-25 academic year, the Student Union Board hosted 211 events with 21,762 total attendees.
While the SUB receives some additional funding from the Inter-Residence Hall Association, it’s mostly for Cyclone Cinema.
“If we didn’t get any Student Government funding, we wouldn’t be able to do any events, because our club doesn’t have any dues,” Juffer said. “Grandma Mojo’s is just $1 at the door. M-shop concerts are not expensive to go to. If we didn’t get any funding, we wouldn’t be able to advertise our events. We wouldn’t be able to bring people in. We wouldn’t be able to really do anything.”
The second most funded subcategory for student organizations is athletic clubs, which Vlasek describes as any club that gets a student moving.
Vlasek explained that athletic clubs range from traditional sports, such as the running club, soccer and water polo, to more niche clubs that get students active, such as the Skydiving Club, Cardinal Swing Society and the Equestrian Club.
“In Student Government, we fund things that help a student’s overall health and well-being, and so these clubs are in those categories,” Vlasek said. “Anything that helps get you moving, which, by being active, contributes to so many other positive benefits in your academic life.”
The Men’s Hockey Club plays at the Division I level within the American Collegiate Hockey Association. They also receive one of the highest allocations from the athletic club organizations.
In FY 2025, Men’s Hockey was allocated $24,378.07 and received an additional $14,587.60 in a Senate bill of spring 2025.
“Our team practices four days a week, two hours a day, with workouts either before or after,” Men’s Hockey President Jack Carroll, a senior majoring in criminal justice, said. “Student Government does everything in its power to provide us with what it can, and we are extremely thankful for that. It might make it more difficult for players to participate due to the high cost of the full season, which is $3,000 per player for the year.”
One reason the club requires so much funding is due to its high travel needed to play teams across the entire U.S., including vehicle rentals, along with ice time.
Vlasek explained that student involvement is a “catch-all” for organizations that get students involved on campus, such as First Year Council and Block and Bridle.
“When you’re involved on campus, you feel like this is your campus,” Vlasek said. “When you’re involved on campus, you’re going to feel like it’s your campus, and therefore, you’re going to feel more comfortable in your classes. You’re going to feel more comfortable making friends here.”
The student and community support subsection is for organizations whose missions are almost completely dedicated to giving back, such as Dance Marathon and Best Buddies.
Vlasek noted that while many athletic clubs and other organizations give back in some fashion, the organizations under this section’s missions are to aid their community.
“We are super grateful that the allocations from the students at Iowa State support clubs all across campus,” Carroll said. “As president of the team, I believe I can speak on behalf of every club president that it significantly helps our clubs, whether they are sports teams or not. It would put a lot of stress on our shoulders if we didn’t receive funding; therefore, the boys in cardinal and gold are very appreciative.”
