News > September 22, 2005

By Dave Chace

Managing Editor

The Student Budget Advisory Committee has made several policy changes for the distribution of funds to student organizations in the upcoming school year.  These changes were presented by junior David Bruno, the Student Government treasurer, during an SBAC information meeting Sept. 21 for all organization presidents and treasurers.

During the SBAC process, hearings are held for every chartered student organization by the committee.  These hearings are the basis for which the committee decides how much money to allocate to each group during the next school year beginning in August. 

Traditionally, this process and these hearings have been held in the month of October, allowing all budgets to be set up 10 months in advance.  However, Bruno announced during the meeting that the SBAC process has been moved to the spring semester and these hearings will likely be held during February. 

Bruno explained the reasoning for the change in policy by first stating that organizations newly-chartered in the fall have been at a disadvantage in the past because they would miss the cutoff for SBAC applications, and by pushing the entire funding process one semester behind, these organizations would have the opportunities to funding that every other organization had available.

February SBAC hearings would also allow the committee to review the fall semester transactions of groups applying for funding, Bruno said.

According to Bruno, the committee would have access to more recent records instead of outdated numbers from the previous academic year.

Bruno also said that it would be to organizations’ advantage to have their new leaders, elected in the beginning of the spring semester, determine the future budget for the group — as opposed to letting apathetic senior leaders bring their organizations through the process. “It doesn’t make sense for you to present a budget when you won’t ever be here to use it,” Bruno said.

Aside from the actual hearing process, Bruno announced that SBAC would be taking on a bigger role as monitors of student organizations’ funds.

Monthly audits will be performed by the committee, which will review the way each group spends money in order to sway them from indulging in forbidden expenses such as gifts, food, alcohol or parties.  The information gathered from the audits will also determine how money is distributed to organizations during the following SBAC process.

According to Bruno, as SBAC maintains more accountability of how funds are being used, there is a greater chance of more money being given to the committee by the university in the future.

This year, SBAC will distribute over $500,000 to student organizations.  After years of remaining static, the budget increased one percent due to a one percent increase in the university’s operating budget.