With plans to use increased funds to better services to the University community and to improve technology in its offices, Student Council passed its 2000-2001 budget last night with a 24 percent increase in Student Activity Fee spending.
Council will request $45,129.11 from the SAF fund - an $8,735.11 increase from the $36,394 it requested last year.
Council Chief Financial Officer Marc Olsen said the increase in spending was largely because of an increase in the budget of the Community Affairs Committee, and the money allocated to two new committees, Housing Concerns and Technology.
Olsen said although Council increased its budget this year, they used available funds more resourcefully.
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Three years ago, Student Council requested $100,000 of SAF monies for its activities, which was dramatically cut back last year to $36,000, he said.
"We tried to use funds as efficiently as possible," he added.
Olsen said although SAF spending increased, non-SAF spending decreased by 30 percent.
Olsen said many problems in the budget were corrected, such as the amount spent on photocopying and food, which varied greatly between committees.
"Last year there were discrepancies in costs for the same item," he said.
He also said much of the increase will go toward the purchase of new computers for the Council office as well as a new student Web server that would give student groups more Web space.
"The new server will enable us to provide support services for organizations and clubs that were not possible before," Council President Joe Bilby said.
The Housing Concerns Committee will spend much of its money advertising for events it will hold throughout the year and the Community Affairs Committee greatly expanded its agenda and will do more for the University community than in the past, Council Chief of Staff Abby Fifer said.
The amount of money committees receive is overshadowed by the amount of work they do, she added.
Bilby agreed with Fifer.
"Committees are going to be the driving force behind Student Council this year and the budget reflects that fact," Bilby said.
Olsen said composing the budget was a "collective effort between the committees, the executive board and the representative body."
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