SGA denies funds for student organization, USITT

The Student Government Association (SGA) met on March 4, 2024, to discuss a resolution from the Funding Board Committee.

Senior BFA Theatre: Design/Technology major Emma Siver spoke on behalf of the student organization United States Institute of Theatre Technology (USITT).

USITT approached the Funding Board Committee seeking funds for their USITT Seattle 2024 Conference on March 20, 2024.

“USITT has played an important role of the creation of industry standards for theatre and has helped many designers and technicians further their careers,” Siver said.

An amount of $1,800 was proposed to aid in their plane tickets for this conference.

“The number [$1,800] was walked down by the funding board, that was not the specific number that we asked. The idea they had proposed was [$1,800] to cover nine of our members $200 each for plane tickets,” Siver said.

With the conference being hosted in Seattle this year, expenses for attending have exponentially increased compared to last year's conference in St. Louis, MO. The cost of registration, airfare, taxi, lodging and food came to be $8,644.49 on their itemized budget.

“I think that the $1800 is a reasonable amount, but of course, any money that we could get is definitely not an expensive endeavor,” Siver said.

The student senate discussed the option of declining the request and having USITT meet with the Funding Board Committee to discuss requesting a larger dollar amount, but with spring break coming up and the conference right after spring break, the turnaround would be quick.

Members of the Senate noticed inconsistencies within the itemized budget. The Senate voted on USITT’s request for $1,800 and the resolution had failed due to inconsistencies within the itemized budget and to revise the requested dollar amount.