The Student Government Association’s Financial Affairs Committee has run out of money, according to SGA Treasurer Mark David Kennedy.
The FAC is a group of student leaders from the SGA and other on-campus organizations that awards financial aid to various official student groups to help cover their expenses for things such as travel and group programs. All student organizations seeking funding from the University must request it from the FAC, which is allotted $120,000 every fiscal year for distribution to these organizations.
The money for this fiscal year, which began in October and will end in September, is completely depleted.
“We have seen the FAC budget at low levels before, but to my knowledge, we have not had a depleted budget this early in the fiscal year before,” said Kennedy, a junior majoring in finance.
Kennedy said the depletion of the budget was due to the increased student population and the resultant rise in student organizations and high demand of FAC funds.
Because of the lack of available funds to distribute, the FAC will not hold its monthly meeting scheduled for March, and no funds will be awarded to any organization this month, Kennedy said. The FAC has requested more aid from Student Affairs, and has secured $15,000 to distribute to organizations at the April meeting of the FAC.
That amount, however, is far short of the average sum the FAC usually distributes each month. In February alone, 44 groups, ranging from the Student Bar Association to the Bama Anime and Manga Association, requested more than $70,000 from the SGA, according to an FAC spreadsheet.
After tabling some organizations for later consideration and an across-the-board cut of almost 20 percent from every approved award, the FAC still distributed $38,000 last month, more than twice the amount Student Affairs has granted for April’s meeting.
Some organizations, like the University’s show choir Resonance, aren’t sure they can wait until April for the funds they’re depending on from the FAC.
Resonance requested $5,000 from the FAC for the month of February but was one of many organizations that was tabled and received no funds last month. With March’s meeting canceled and a much lower than normal sum to be distributed in April, Michael Zauchin, Resonance’s director and a senior majoring in music education, said he was unsure if the group would be able to make ends meet.
“I understand that the SGA cannot favor one organization over another, and the SGA doesn’t have limitless resources,” Zauchin said. “Students are beginning new clubs and creating new outlets for students similar to what I did with Resonance, now we just need to find a way to support this creativity.
“I am praying that there will be enough money in April to perform our show since it has become a main event around campus each semester,” he said. “The students work tirelessly to put together the show and we truly rely on the SGA’s assistance with funding, even though the students have paid anywhere between $200-$600 this year to put on the show.”
Kennedy said the SGA plans to make sure the same situation doesn’t occur again.
“We are certainly discussing this issue with the administration to help provide more money for our students,” he said.
“The SGA will continue to work for all students to provide the most resources possible,” Kennedy concluded.
