SGA presents funding expenses and applications for student organizations budgets

On Monday, Sept. 19, the SEMO Student Government Association (SGA) discussed funding expenses for the Student Organization, Discretionary, and Conference accounts.

Undergraduates can receive money from SGA which can be used for conferences, competitions, showcases and more — by submitting a Student Government Funding Application to the Funding Board or the Executive Board. SGA provides funding for these accounts, which is drawn from a percentage of SEMO’s students tuition dollars.

The Student Organization account is for students who are identified and funded by SGA. The Discretionary account can be used for student organizations who need funding for appropriate campus projects. The Conference account provides funding for students to take part in educational conferences regarding their major or organization.

Treasurer Heather Hoffman shared the potential changes for the amount of money each category will receive. Accounts total number will stay the same but the individual categories budget within may have changed.

“The overall amount that students can apply for didn’t change,” Hoffman said. “In our bylaws, it states the amounts for those accounts. [SGA will] change the bylaws first, and then approve a budget with those amounts on it.”

The three accounts discussed were voted on together and passed. The Discretionary Account’s budget lowered $6,000 for an estimated budget of $18,000. The Conference Account’s budget raised $2,000 for an estimated budget of $24,000. The Student Organization Account’s budget is now $22,000, instead of $18,000.

College of humanities and social science senator Luke Collins proposed a rephrasing resolution for the new bylaw, which will be reviewed and voted on at the next meeting. The phrase ‘10% of the overall funding budget’ would be replaced with ‘10% of the total yearly allocations for student organizations.’”

The change in phrasing was suggested to clarify the funding that student organizations are receiving from the Student Organization Account.

Sophomore Criminal Justice major Luke Triplett agreed with rephrasing the bylaw and making sure it made sense before passing. He said the bylaw will be in place for the next five years and it's best to change it now for the following years.

The new wording was passed, and the bylaw will be reworded and discussed at the next meeting. The overall funding budget for the Student Organizations will stay the same for applicants in the fall or spring semester.

More information about SGA can be found on their SEMO website. SGA meets Mondays at 8 p.m. in the UC Ballroom and you can find the live stream here.