Student Senate funding commission runs out of money

“The goal is that we spend it completely because this is student money,” Klier said. “When we allocate the money out, it goes back into the hands of the students.”

[dropcap txtcolor="#234a83" style="dropcap1"]T[/dropcap]he funding commission body of Student Senate has run out of money after a large influx of requests for funding.The Senate Appropriations Commission (SAC) received 289 requests for funding in the 2017-18 school year compared to 217 applications the previous year. SAC receives around 20 applications for funding every two weeks, SAC Commissioner Haley N. Klier said.Klier says running out of SAC funding is positive because ultimately, students benefit.“The goal is that we spend it completely because this is student money,” Klier said. “When we allocate the money out, it goes back into the hands of the students.”SAC funded programming has included events such as Wednesday’s Never Shout Never concert, the Siblings Weekend concert and partially funds events such as the 90 Minutes series.Each year, SAC is allocates around $480,000 for distribution among student organizations that apply for funding, Klier said. Of that, $400,000 in the SAC fund is included as a “student activity fee” in the cost of tuition, although it is not specific in the tuition breakdown, Student Senate Treasurer Zachary Woods said. Ufund, a fund designed to prevent “high-risk behavior,” receives $80,000 of the funding, Klier said. Ufund money is used during “high-risk” events like Palmer Fest. It is gathered from fines and fees generated from violation of the code of conduct, Woods said.Another $80,000 is distributed annually to each of the “big three” organizations on campus, Klier said. These groups are the University Program Council, the Black Student Cultural Programming Board and the International Student Union. These groups meet with SAC and outline their planned use of the funding.Since there is no funding left to disburse, student organizations that wish to seek funding for the remainder of the school year may be out of luck, Klier said. She said the best option to get fall semester funding is to schedule a semesterly funding interview in advance.