Allocation Again… follow up

By Katelyn Canon

February 18, 2013

With approximately $95,000 in rollover in Student Affairs, the Student Government Association is looking to again take control of the funds.

Interim Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students Judy Grimes explained the surplus in Student Affair funds.

“The reason that that is so high is because the budgets a year ago, it was a mess,” Grimes said. “The state wasn’t funding us, they were cutting money, and we were just concerned we would be taking some really big hits, so Dr. Peralez specifically protected some of those funding just in case and in the end some of that we have been able to rollover.”

While $95,030 rolled over from the previous fiscal year, Grimes also emphasized how that ability to rollover benefits students.

“The beauty of rollover is that you don’t get down to the last day and try to spend it foolishly,” Grimes said.

Each year, Student Affair allocates the majority of funds to the Center Multicultural Education, and the Center for Student Engagement. Intramurals and the Non-Traditional and Commuter Student Center also receive a smaller portion of some of the allocated money as outlined from the SGA constitution.

For 2012-2013, the Center for Multicultural Education received $17,701.64, and the Center for Student Engagement was given $31, 055.95. The CME uses their funds to provide activities such as the International Lecture Series. The CSE holds several student activities including Western Warm Up and Family Weekend.

“There are a lot of the things we do,” Grimes said. “It’s certainly a lot of the late night events that we do. The big Foam Party and some of the dances, and I think the non-trads are doing some interesting things this year … some of these things are not so expensive but they certainly make a difference for students I think.”

SGA would like to gain more control over the allocated funds, Grimes said she collaborates with the SGA president.

“I work really closely with [SGA President] Jacob Scott,” Grimes said. “We meet every other week and part of the meeting includes looking at the proposals… and then we go through an approval process and Jacob and I make sure that we are all on that same page that SGA would want to be a part of these things.

Scott wants make sure that SGA has the ability to control the allocated funds.

“The money could be spent a little bit better as far as there should be more of an advisory role among SGA because we don’t have necessarily as much say as I think we should with the money, but that’s something I am working on,” Scott said.

At the SGA meeting on Monday, Oct. 29, the Senate tabled the allocation funds issue and will discuss it further at the next meeting.