Mission gap dollars not a budget killer for USU/SA
The USU Student Association Executive Council decided to increase their budget by two percent on Tuesday.
The council passed their budget in April at $914,452 with significant cuts from various departments. After they voted on the initial budget, they voted to subtract two percent across the board to give them $906,258.
“We took a precautionary without knowing the enrollment numbers,” said Linda Zimmerman, the Student Involvement and Leadership executive director. “On top, we cut two percent just to be careful.”
Members and advisers were expecting a significant decrease in enrollment for the 2013-14 academic year due to the age requirement drop for missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Enrollment numbers did not drop as low as expected. In fact, USU/SA Public Relations and Marketing director Casey Saxton said enrollment decreased by a few hundred.
“Admissions worked hard to make sure enrollment stayed steady,” Saxton said.
The council passed their budgets with the expectation of fewer students and consequently, a decrease in the money derived from student fees.
“My personal opinion is that the money should be used for its original intention,” Saxton said.
The budget increase was first discussed by the council on Nov. 5 at the weekly executive council meeting.
Members originally had concerns about what the money would be used for if the budgets were not increased. The funds would be put into a savings account for the activity fund.
At the meeting on Nov. 5, Athletics and Campus Recreation Vice President Charley Riddle said it didn’t make sense to him for students to pay fees into a savings account. He would rather see it dispersed into activity funds, as in the executive council budgets.
The approved increase wasn’t presented in the form of a bill or voted on because it was part of the $914,452 budget passed in April.
In other business, USU/SA President Doug Fiefia presented a new idea to the council to bring in more funds for the student association called sponsorship tiers.
In the future, Fiefia wants council members to reach out to the community and bring sponsorship funds from local businesses and organizations. The system he set up includes four categories: bronze, silver, gold and platinum. The areas come with a different set of perks and benefits depending on how much money the sponsor gives. Some benefits for the businesses include a free booth at Day on the Quad or advertising at major events like the Howl or End of Year Bash.
“It’s a really great idea,” Saxton said. “It’s an opportunity for the student association to bring in money. I don’t know why there hasn’t been something like this in the past.”
The money would be allocated to separate funds in the student association. The officer recruiting the sponsorship money would receive 65 percent, the student activities board would receive 30 percent and five percent would go to the Taggart Student Center.
Fiefia presented the idea in hopes of receiving feedback. He’s in the process of writing legislation in order to pass it through the council.