The Student Senate would like to adress inaccuracies and misleading information presented in the recent article, “Where Did Student Senate’s Budget Go,” written by Ty Quirk. The Senate is committed to transparency and ensuring the campus community has a clear understanding of how student funds are managed and allocated.
The Professional Activities Policy, which designates 20% of the Student Activities Fee, was introduced by Student Senate with the support of Kristine Goodwin. This policy was established to ensure Student Involvement has the necessary funding to host large-scale campus events. Additionally, Student Senate does not determine the university’s tuition discount rate, as that decision is made independently by the institution.
Regarding the Reserve Fund, the reported $1.9 million is held within a tracking account and is not directly accessible to Student Senate for discretionary spending. The Senate does not have the authority to withdraw funds from this account at will for projects.
Due to a reduction in the Student Activities Fee, Student Senate was required to make budget cuts across nearly all student organizations. These reductions were not limited to arts-related groups but were implemented broadly to ensure equitable distribution of available funds. The Senate prioritizes funding initiatives that provide the greatest benefit to the overall student body. For example, the Campus Activities Board plays a significant role in planning campus-wide events and previously reduced its own budget to help minimize impacts on other organizations.
Organizations that experienced budget cuts were given the opportunity to submit additional allocation requests. Groups such as Stageless and the Investment Club utilized this process to secure additional allocations to their budgets.
Student Senate remains dedicated to fair and responsible allocation of resources while prioritizing programming that enhances the student experience for the entire campus community.
For further information or media inquiries, please contact your new Student Senate President Blanca Amaya or Vice President Rebecca Kilday.
