RSO budgets finalized, some pockets left empty

The Student Activity Budget Committee approved the allocation of $1 million for the 2012 fiscal year, with roughly $160,00 distributed to Recognized Student Organizations.

Fifty-six RSO applicants requested a total of $464,386.17, approximately 65.55 percent more than the SABC had to budget, according to SGA President Evan Karanovich.

The SABC would have needed over $304,000 more than what they had in order to give each RSO its requested funds.

“To the best of my knowledge, you can count on one hand the number of organizations that got what they requested,” said Paul Jahr, associate vice president for student affairs and financial advisor to the SABC allocation process.

All allocated funds are derived from the student activity fee paid by students at the beginning of each semester, separate from tuition. The total revenue generated from this fee is then broken down based upon formula funding.

Campus Life receives 45 percent of the fee, The GIVE Center receives 6 percent, SGA receives 8 percent, CAB receives 6 percent and 10 percent is placed in the unallocated reserves, which serves as a monetary safety net each semester. The remaining 25 percent is available for allocation to the groups and programs requesting student activity fee funding, according to the SABC.

Every spring there is an open call for RSO funding requests. Each RSO then receives an SABC hearing where it submits justifications for its requested funding.

After each hearing is completed, the SABC makes its recommendations for how the money should be allocated. The recommendations are then forwarded to the vice president for student affairs, who then approves them and forwards them to the president, who provides final authorization.

“It’s a long process,” Karanovich said. “But it’s one we know is vital to the success of our RSOs.”

According to Karanovich, the SABC sits down and sees where they can make the biggest difference with

every dollar.  “It’s not monopoly money,” he said. “These are real student dollars we’re dealing with.”

Karanovich says that when deciding the allocation of fees, the SABC looks at which organizations invite the most students and do not limit membership or participation.

This year, the Thunder Crew received $12,000 of its requested $28,500, a $1,500 increase from the $10,500 allocated in the 2011 fiscal year. According to Karanovich, the athletic department saw a 45 percent increase in participation last year as well.

“We’re seeing a direct benefit (from the funds),” Karanovich said.

Patrick Gamble, president of Thunder Crew, says the organization, like many other RSOs, relies on SABC funds. Last year Thunder Crew received a $5,000 sponsorship from Hutchinson KIA of Macon. Gamble believes that Thunder Crew would not have received this sponsorship had they not already had initial funding from the SABC; funding that showed Thunder Crew is a serious and established student organization.

“When it gets down to it,” Gamble said. “All the stuff Thunder Crew does, we cannot do without that money.”

According to Jahr, decisions on how to allocate student fees are up to students and are based upon student participation in the RSOs.

In fact, Jahr says that since student participation has increased, RSOs have requested more money than in the past. In order to counter this increase, the SABC asked for permission to dip into additional funds that were left over from last year’s unallocated reserve. Their request was granted, allowing for over $100,000 extra to be distributed to student organizations. This is in addition to the 16 percent formula-funded amount already allocated for the 2012 fiscal year.

“We are just trying to be the best stewards of your money,” Karanovich said.

*Editor’s note: The Colonnade receives $37,000 from the SABC allocated fees.

Posted by Vanessa Whited on Sep 1 2011. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.