At the Student Council meeting Tuesday night, Chief Financial Officer Amanda Jenkins unveiled the summer budget to be voted on next week, which also includes some items of funding for the next year. Council has trimmed several thousand dollars from its budget and is to be commended for reducing its use of Student Activity Fee funds at a time when non-SAF funding is drying up. The majority of SAF funds, however, are distributed to CIOs through the Appropriations Committee and to fully address the cutbacks in funding, Council will need to completely overhaul the appropriations process. In addition, Council should continue to be mindful of its own spending and potential for waste.
Council’s decision to have its retreat in Charlottesville this year contributed almost $3,000 to the budget reductions. Council President John Nelson said Council’s goal is to spend as little as possible and one place Council thought it could save money without compromising value was the retreat. On the other hand, Council did budget $500 more for office supplies because of depleted resources and packets for the retreat, although Nelson said this was the maximum Council would possibly spend on office supplies. Council should keep in mind the theme for this year’s University Unity Project — environmental sustainability — and reduce its environmental impact as well as its budget by consuming less office supplies. Nelson commented that Council was “certainly going to be looking for ways to reduce both” and if Council is successful in this it should come in under budget, freeing up funds for CIOs.
Appropriations to CIOs, meanwhile, account for the bulk of SAF fund expenditures and Council Vice President for Organizations Colin Hood plans to create a task force this summer to examine every aspect of the appropriations process. In the past, CIOs have requested much more than they need from the Committee and to disperse SAF funds efficiently Council needs to address the culture of dishonesty associated with the appropriations request process. Hood said the recently revived CIO consultant program, which will provide assistance to CIO treasurers, will focus on fundraising and creating efficient budgets to ease some of the burden on SAF funds.
One major problem with the current appropriations process is the reluctance of CIOs to report their own fundraising efforts because any money raised is deducted from the amount requested. Hood acknowledged the current appropriations process “creates incentives not to report revenue” and changing this will be a major focus of the task force.
Council has done an excellent job overhauling its own budget, but that is only a small part of the funds Council is charged with distributing. To account for the decrease in non-SAF funding in the fall, Council will need to instate a brand new appropriations process that encourages groups to be honest about their needs and fundraise on their own.
Read More
EDITORIAL: Scapegoating students will not stop hazing
By Editorial Board | 4 days agoInstead of retroactively responding to extreme hazing allegations, we, and especially the University, must begin asking more probing questions about the role of fraternal organizations on Grounds.
EDITORIAL: Celebrating and reflecting on The Cavalier Daily’s independence
By Editorial Board | April 18, 2024Our independence grants us the ability to ask the hard questions and to say what University representatives cannot.
EDITORIAL: Pedestrian safety is an institutional imperative
By Editorial Board | April 15, 2024Amid a national crisis of pedestrian safety, Charlottesville and the University are also struggling to properly maintain pedestrian safety.
