Our Voice

According to the latest report on funding from the Student Activities Budget Committee on April 2, Campus Life organizations, plus the Student Government Association, The GIVE Center and CAB, receive 65 percent of funds, while Registered Student Organizations and other student groups are allocated just 25 percent, with 10 percent held aside in reserve.

We at The Colonnade feel that there is an imbalance here. A large number of GCSU students participate in and create student groups each semester, but are unable to get off the ground due to monetary restrictions. While it is certainly true that a larger number of students participate in intramurals and Greek life, both covered under Campus Life, each of these programs already receives additional out-of-pocket funding from students for various activities.

The idea behind student organizations is that students with common interests can join together and receive financial support from their school to follow these passions. With a tight budget for such organizations, students are less likely to feel motivated to get these organizations together, feeling squeezed out by larger, more traditional student groups.

As Georgia’s public liberal arts university, GCSU owes its students every opportunity to express themselves, especially in the kind of environment that can be provided by a club where they can discuss, develop and pursue their interests.

For example, the hockey club team was forced to raise money for trips to tournaments through fundraising events such as their “grocery bagging day” this past November. If a club sports team has to constantly worry about money, it takes away from its ability to compete against quality competition, and makes it tougher to attract new talent – two of the most important aspects of any team getting better.

Perhaps the solution can be found by taking a cue from the federal government. Some sort of stimulus plan could be created for students to create new organizations, providing a set amount of money to new groups approved by SABC. This start-up money would provide the incentive for students to come together and get recognized, with the potential for increased funding in the future. In this way, more GCSU students would get out of their rooms and get involved on campus, make more friends with people who have similar interests, and feel like a more vital part of their school community, all while seeing their student fees come back to help them.

Please send responses to

ColonnadeLetters@gcsu.edu.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Apr 23 2010. Filed under Our Voice. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry