SGA begins budget breakdown, printing top issue

The Student Government Association has a budget of $5,116 for the academic year, and senators discussed questions regarding that funding at last Tuesday’s SGA meeting. Issues included the cost of printing in the Center for Student Involvement office and funding committee events. 

“This is our budget for the whole year, for this semester and next semester. So this is what we gotta stretch,” SGA President Channing Redditt said. “This is just so we can all know how much...They don’t give us a lot to work with.”

Redditt said the SGA budget was not properly taken care of when it was carried over from last year. He said SGA was prepared to buy gear and T-shirts, but the process was halted due to budget mishandling.

“So they didn’t keep our records right....told us that the numbers we had weren’t the numbers that they had,” he said. “They told us not to buy anything, basically they told us: ‘You can’t spend your money.’”

Redditt emphasized collaborating on events to help lower the cost for SGA-sponsored activities. SGA has not currently spent any money out of this semester’s budget, but leaders are planning to buy cardigans with new logos and paper.  That could also include printing SGA meeting agendas, event flyers, and budgeting in promotions and advertising.

Treasurer and secretary Svjetlana Grbic said that each committee will have no more than $200 for the semester to spend on events, giveaways and other wanted resources. Both SGA and the Students Programming for Enrichment, Enlightenment, and Development (SPEED),  the university’s activities board,  are required to pay for printing through CSI. Other student organizations are not.

Grbic said orders must be approved through the SGA advisor or through CSI.

“We have to get around ordering our color because they have to approve it...they have to approve us ordering the toners or a printer,” Grbic said.

Redditt said SGA is also looking to use a small, personal printer in the SGA office.  But if that option falls through, senators could face additional printing roadblocks. The money for a new printer would come out of SGA’s budget.

“If we can’t hook up our old, little printer then it’ll be up to you all if you want to pay for the color printer and cartridges,” he told senators.

Some senators questioned why SGA couldn’t receive its funding through the Student Activities Fee Allocation Committee.

Vice President Cherise Johnson noted that if SGA decided to be funded through SAFAC that it would relinquish its rights to a budget from the university.

 “Because we get money from the school, there’s nothing saying we can’t pay for the printing. And that’s kind of their justification for making us pay for the printing,” she said. “They do the same thing with SPEED. Because they have a budget, because they can afford it - they are forced to pay for the printing as well.”

Redditt said distributing funds to committees and senators will occur on an “as needed basis” as a way to conserve money in the budget.

The Executive Board plans to breakdown the SGA budget in greater detail at its Oct. 2 meeting.

What do you want to see SGA budget in this year? Tweet us your ideas at @RUTORCH