Student Government allocates nearly $3 million to student fees
Minnesota State’s Student Government recommended $2.78 million in allocations Wednesday after seven hours of deliberation.
With the Green Transportation Fee moving from the Student Activity Fee to the Sustainability Fee, the Student Government recommended an increase to the Student Activity Fee of $1.04, bringing the base fee from $8.77 to $9.81 per credit, an 11.86% increase over this year.
Because the increase was larger than the 2% request threshold, and because the Senate is not using reserve funds, the student body must approve the increase. That question will appear on the ballot in the upcoming election, set for April 8 and 9.
The Student Athletics Fee will also be on the ballot with the Student Activity Fee with a 21.8% increase.
Campus Rec, Student Activities and Student Activities Fee Administration received the most money with $890,835, $233,600 and $964,620 respectively.
If students do not pass the recommended budget, the Senate’s backup budget will go into effect, severely decreasing several department’s budgets.
The biggest motion of the night was an omnibus bill that passed unanimously, approving allocations for 19 different student groups including Community Engagement, Greek Life and Gender and Sexuality programs.
One of the longest-debated appeals was Maverick Adventures lasted around 30 minutes. They requested $27,000 but met resistance from several senators.
Senator Brooke Van Geldereun made a motion to amend the SAC recommendation of $24,800 to the requested $27,000. Sen. Darnell Speltz made a motion to amend the request down to $26,000. Sen. Camille Hart said she liked the idea of meeting in the middle for the budget.
“I think we’ve got to understand that it’s not always fair to go ‘they request it.’ Everyone requests money, everyone needs a certain amount of money but we can’t do that,” Hart said. “Meeting in the middle is a great way to show our support but also be mindful of the other organizations that we’re voting for on their budgets today.”
The amendment passed in a 12-10-1 vote.
Maverick Involvement Team members appealed their program’s $21,800 request, saying they were trying to regain money from the 23% budget cut they saw last year. The money would go to a leadership retreat and ongoing leadership training.
Assistant Director for RSOs Michelle Harvey said if the current staff of four students went down to three, it would “not be sustainable for all the support that it needs.” Instead of reducing the salary stipend, the retreat would be canceled.
In discussion, Sen. Samuel Oladeji made a motion to amend to change SAC’s request of $18,000 to $21,000 but in a failed motion, the Maverick Involvement Team was given the $18,000 SAC recommendation.
The Student Government budget was amended and raised from $137,428 to $138,478. The sustainability fee was passed to become $1.44 per credit.
Next week, the technology fee, Student Health Services fee and Student Union fees are set to be discussed. Students can head to the Student Government’s office in CSU 280 with any questions.
Header photo: Courtesy of Alexis Darkow
Write to Emma Johnson at Emma.johnson.5@mnsu.edu