The Student Government Association has allotted nearly $50,000 to 15 campus organizations from a student fee budget of $120,000 for this academic year.
The fees, $2 per credit hour paid by each IVCC student, are also providing over $56,000 to athletics, $15,000 to compensate the Coordinator of Student Activities, and $2,000 to the Arts & Letters Series.
The amount going to athletics, the largest share of the fee money, is up about $1,500 from last year. Cory Tomasson, the Coordinator of Student Activities, said that increase was to compensate for the addition of a golf team this fall.
As the chart shows, the SGA and the Apache are the student organizations that receive the largest allocations, $11,000 for the SGA and $10,000 for the newspaper.
"The SGA receives the largest amount because it represents all students," Tomasson said. "The programs that the SGA hosts are open to all students at no charge."
Chris Smith, student trustee, said the SGA and the student newspaper have the largest budgets "because we do the most."
Copies of the newspaper are distributed free of charge.
Tomasson said the size of the Apache budget is also related to the Apache not being allowed to carry advertising.
"We are looking at the possibility of allowing advertising which would help supplement their budget," Tomasson said.
Two organizations that received funding last year, Amnesty International and the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, did not request any funds for this year. AI’s advisor Pat Cole announced earlier this fall that she was taking a year off as advisor.
The Society of Manufacturing Engineers also missed three legislative branch meetings last year, which, Tomasson said, made them ineligible for funding.
Increases were granted to groups which were the most active, both Tomasson and Smith said.
Tomasson explained that the SGA determined allocations by reviewing how long the organization has existed, how many members the group has, other income available to the group, how active the group has been in the previous year, the group’s participation in legislative branch meetings, and budget requests and use of funds from the previous year.
Student organizations submitted budget requests last spring; the SGA met with organization representatives, and the SGA budget recommendation was approved by Tomasson and submitted to Dr. Robert Marshall, Vice President of Student Services, in May.
Marshall and the College Board approved the SGA recommendations.
Two student groups being organized this fall, Student Educators and a health and wellness group, are expected to request funding for next year. Tomasson said organizations usually have to wait a year to request funds.
"However, exceptions have been made in the past if the circumstances have warranted it," Tomasson said.
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10/29/98 the Apache