Student Senate approved the budget for student organizations for 2025 on April 17. The Student Fees Allocation Committee and Student Senate allocated $419,113.08 to be split between campus organizations, about $31,000 less than 2024.
Student Senate Treasurer Grace McGrane said that Vice President and Dean of Students Jerry Parker asked SFAC to keep funding for student organizations below $420,000 to ensure that the University doesn’t spend more than they have.
Many of the student organizations that requested funding from SFAC received less money than they asked for. Only 10 organizations received all the money they asked for, while 55 organizations received less. Of the organizations that didn’t get all the money they requested, SAB saw the biggest difference, with SAB receiving only 77% of what they requested. Despite the cut, SAB received 34% of the total budget.
The Coalition of Black Students received $47,300, which was 65% of what they requested. Their funding is down about $5,500 from the previous year.
“I’m mostly concerned about our conference [Big XII Conference on Black Student Government] we attend each year,” Ty Walls, the president of CBS, said. “It always takes place out of state, but it’s in Kansas City this year, so we’re hoping the bus cost will be lower. I also worry about the impact this could have on our Black on Black Banquet in the future, and we need to ensure we adjust to these changes.”
Katie Krueger, a senior on SFAC, said that SFAC deliberated between presentations from each organization for a few hours over the span of three days. SFAC approved the proposed budget on April 7.
“We considered fundraising efforts of different organizations, dues for sports clubs and how the club spent money this past year,” Krueger said. “If an organization didn’t have plans for a significant portion of their money for the remainder of this year, we considered that for next year’s funding.”
Ensuring each group gets fair allocation of funds was important to Krueger and SFAC.
“There were often times that we would change our proposal for one organization, and we would go back to another to make sure we weren’t unfairly allocating money to one organization and not another,” Krueger said.
Another factor that student organizations will have to watch out for is the economy. Prices continue to rise as enrollment and student involvement seems to continue to decrease according to Krueger.
“This is also why I prioritized environmental and economic sustainability in my discussions, decisions and proposals,” Krueger said. “With changes in the economy and environment, it is incredibly important for groups to consider how their actions [support] sustainability. I have continued to criticize large organizations for their use of their funds. Seeing how items are thrown away, bought to be single-use or given out despite students not really needing or wanting them has continued to discourage me.”
As student organizations look toward the future, they will have to make adjustments to continue functioning in the face of change.
“The lower funding provided to SFAC from the University is going to continue to negatively impact every organization on campus,” Krueger said. “We prepared to have budget cuts, but the effects are certainly felt by each organization.”
