Thursday, December 4, 2008
Student Senate usually spends nearly all of its available funds by the end of the spring semester. This year, that day has come much sooner.
Senate has about $36,237.48 left to spend on funding student groups and projects for the rest of the school year. Senate started the school year with a budget of $108,168 and has spent almost $72,000 this semester alone.
Alex Porte, Great Falls, Va., senior and Student Senate treasurer, was disappointed to discover how quickly funds had dried up.
“Usually we have this amount left this time in April, and it’s not April.” Porte said.
Porte said Senate funds had never been this depleted by the end of the first semester. He said no single person could be pegged with making a wrong decision, but that Senate had come up short in the area of fiscal responsibility.
“I think the problem snowballed,” he said. “It puts such a financial strain not just on Senate but on students.”
Porte said that, by the end of the spring semester, he expected only half of all funding requests to be approved. He said that if Senate were to pass all funding requests next semester, Senate would be $4,000 in the hole.
But going in debt is not an option. If Senate were to run out of funds before the end of next semester, there would be no more money to fund student groups or programs through the end of the school year.
“It’s a difficult situation to deal with when you have such a small plot of money,” Porte said. “We have to remember there are a lot more student groups than just the ones on our docket for our meeting.”
Brian Hardouin, Broomfield, Colo., law senator and member of the finance committee, said the finance committee was responsible for allocating funds so students would be able to plan events and projects and operate smoothly.
“Finance puts lots of consideration into its budgets to make sure students are adequately being provided for,” he said.
One of the most controversial funding approvals this year was for Jayhawk Motorsports, a student group and recreational racing club that builds racing cars, because it received the biggest chunk of Senate funds this year: $10,085. Jayhawk Motorsports, which receives Senate line item funding every year, missed the line item deadline this year. As a result, the group requested and received a much larger amount of funding than it normally would have, Porte said. He said the group should have received less funding.
Another controversial issue in Senate is the amount of funds that have been given to engineering groups. Porte said that since the beginning of the semester, Senate spent at least 25 percent of unallocated funds on engineering groups.
After Jayhawk Motorsports, the next largest funding amount of $4,210 went to the Civil Engineering Society to build a steel bridge exhibit.
Andy Haverkamp, Hoyt sophomore and engineering senator, said that engineering projects were semester-long projects that any students could be involved in. He said student projects that spanned over two semesters were more beneficial than bringing speakers to campus for a couple days, which cost between $1,000 and $3,000.
Haverkamp said the early depletion of funds was a result of student groups becoming more active, industrious and effective. He said student groups were attempting bigger projects and, therefore, Senate saw larger funding requests that it didn’t have enough money to fund.
“We shouldn’t be playing God with groups,” he said. “Without funding, they die. We shouldn’t be allowed to kill groups because we didn’t prepare for them.”
The $17.50 Student Senate fee that every KU student pays generates about $850,000. About $740,000 of that is allocated to block funding and line funding and about $100,000 goes to the unallocated account. The unallocated account is the account that Senate uses to fund student group money requests throughout the school year.
— — Edited by Jennifer Torline
Controversy arose after funding for balloon experiment
Controversy over whether the remaining funds will be enough for the rest ...
Senate rejects funding bill
Legislation would have restricted money allotment for groups.
Senate says spending is business as usual
Student Senate has spent 30 percent of its budget after two sessions.
Pork politics
Student Senate approves group funding
More than $100,00 will fund more than 70 student groups next year.
Student groups benefit financially from having student ...
Senators say that every group has access to funds, but admit that ...
Committee discuses student fee increase
The rising cost of fuel and other products along with the desire ...
Limited Student Senate funds cause concern
Student groups worry a limited Student Senate budget could mean less funding ...
Student senators tour new center
Plans for the new Sabatini Multicultural Resource Center have been in the ...
Senate rule accidentally omitted
The requirement for senators to submit event surveys for funding evaluation was ...
Senate treasurer out for finance talks
Alex Porte was suspended Tuesday for leaking a confidential senate budget proposal ...
Campus fees generate more than $20 million
Student Senate finance committee reviews funds to determine what will might face ...
Senate will finance cleaning of Potter Lake
Senators voted to spend $58,000 to lift sludge from the bottom of ...
Editorial: Senate must use funds wisely
Student Senate has shown more prudence this year, but must continue its ...
Groups must detail fund proposals
Student Senate looks closer at funding requests after a decrease in the ...
Funding slashed for environmental group
The Student Environmental Advisory Board is learning to adjust to decreased funding ...
Student Senate slashes funding for environmental group
The Student Environmental Advisory Board is learning to adjust to decreased funding ...
Student committee requests $9,000 from Student Senate ...
The Center for Community Outreach’s request was amended to $9,000 and will ...
Student body president suspends treasurer
Suspension comes after treasurer releases memo to The Kansan.
Editorial: Students can’t afford to ignore their ...
It's important for students to know what their elected leaders are doing.
Campus elections 2009: Envision
Senate ethics, a sustainable campus and fiscal responsibility comprise Envision’s platform.
Senate notebook: February 28, 2008
Notes from the Feb. 28, 2008 Student Senate meeting.
A step up from ‘the shack’
Student Senate will vote tonight on a $75,000 contribution that would relocate ...
Student Senate Notebook
Here is what happened at the Student Senate meeting on Wednesday
Student Senate notebook
Student Senate Finance Committee will update, clarify ...
The Finance Committee hopes to clarify rules like those about the student ...
Student Senate revamps brand
Student Senate approved a $3,500 website redesign as part of a new ...
Jayhawk Motorsports seeking redemption
After complications during its last competition, the Jayhawk Motorsports team has a ...
Hard up for money
Debate addresses campaign funds, economy
Adam Wood, presidential candidate for Students of Liberty, organized a Student Senate ...
Student Senate coalitions talk money
Students of Liberty presidential candidate organized a debate Friday afternoon following Monday’s ...
Student fees increase more than $35
In four years, student fees have increased 44 percent. They were $287 ...
Student Senate Notebook
Student Senate committees met last night to vote on legislation concerning large ...
Student farm project comes to a standstill
Despite the semester’s close and a lack of money, the farm’s leaders ...
Senate Notebook: March 6, 2008
Here's what Student Senate discussed at last night's meeting.
Senate Finance Committee passes cuts to media ...
The full Student Senate will take up the issue in two weeks.
Senate finalizes funding recommendations
Some student organizations will see increases or decreases in budget.
Student Senate votes on several bills for ...
The session lasted two hours with the debates of fund distribution.
New coalition to join senate races
The Envision coalition is comprised of Senate veterans and will campaign this ...
Multicultural groups confused about funding
The Student Senate Finance Committee is trying to sort out funding for ...
Kansas Jayhawk fans hold aloft a reproduction of ...
2 comments
Erin Saupe, a Ph.D. student from St. Cloud, ...
1 comment
0 comments
Armed robbers continue to threaten.
3 comments
Lecture from Greg Mortenson, co-author of New York ...
0 comments
KUnited presidential candidate Libby Johnson and vice presidential ...
1 comment
Comments
Student Senate money depleting early this year
"Alex Porte, Great Falls, Va., senior and Student Senate treasurer, was disappointed to discover how quickly funds had dried up."
Isn't that sort of the job of the treasurer to monitor how fast the money is going out? If he had done maybe 1 projection couldn't he have seen this? It wasn't exactly hard to see that senate is spending money much more liberally this year. He should be more than disappointed, but embarrassed.
Student Senate money depleting early this year
For a watchdog, you don't seem follow Senate that closely. If you did, you'd know that he's been warning us about this for about a month now.
Student Senate money depleting early this year
I have spent the past four cycles presenting bills in finance, and not a meeting has gone by where Alex and Brian haven't given stern warnings to the committee. I really don't know where watchdog is coming from....
I think we put ourself in this spot by not increasing the activity fee for the past FIVE years. Our campus has grown tremendously, a 2.50 increase would help a ton.
Student Senate money depleting early this year
I'm not sure where to point the finger of blame for this problem. Is it hard working senators getting money for student groups? is it more informed student groups realizing they can do more because funding is available, or is it because other sources of funding that groups normally turn to are all exhausted thanks to tough economic times? Is it because the chair of the finance committee bailed out last year, mid semester, before he could inform groups to apply for line item funding, and the new committee chair had to pick up the slack mid semester? I say all of these factors are to blame.
We need a comprehensive plan to ensure that groups get the money they need next semester, and a plan for next year to raise the student activity fee $.50-$1- that should be more than adequate to fund groups at an adequate level.
Sign in to comment
Or login with:
OpenID