SGA discusses financial woes

 
Financial woes are addressed at the Student Government Association Senate meeting, Thursday afternoon.
Senators discussed organizational funding and the allocation of student government budget adjustments.
Major issues surrounded the usage of Lacumba fund money and the bottom line of the concert budget.
Demetrius Sumner, SGA president presented the bottom line of the concert budget. The expenditures of the concert budget were $88,839.00. Over half of the budget went towards Rick Ross, his agent and accommodations.
“The Homecoming concert and the homecoming festivities this year, I believe were some of the best we have had in the past few years and in a very long time. I feel that we returned to that ol’ school spirit we were talking about,” said Sumner.
“Some of the things we will be pressing for in the coming weeks and months, as I said earlier, will be three items; first will be an amendment to the budget passed. The all purpose budget. I have looked over that budget and it is a reflection as one of the disclaimers that $32,000 can be allocated out of that account for each succeeding administration. As of right now that information is correct in that main statement,” said Sumner.
He continued his report mentioning the fact that there should be money at the disposal of the SGA to expend from the account according to a percentage rather than a numerical amount due to the fluctuation of balances from term to term.
Sumner, continued, “What I also included was in the event that I came to you with a cause that’s considered critical to the commission of student government association and critical to the student body that we could expend money out of that account. Now if we expend money out of (it) it modifies that $32,000. One of the things would be better in the long run but it’s not a mistake is that it doesn’t need to be a direct number it needs to be a percentage. So instead of 32, 000 you say 20% of that account can be expended over the course of time.”
Sumner plans to push for a short-term loan program for students who need money to satisfy those small few expenses for school or personal problems that would prevent their education.
“I will be pushing for a short term loan program. It was something that we had a few years ago, probably as many as five. Students often times when they are paying their tuition and fees it’s not 5,000 or 10,000 that they need. It’s the small money that doesn’t quite get them over the hump. $300 for this light bill or so much for the cell phone bill or the small purchases that they have to make. It was brought to my attention, to the Vice President’s attention as well as the Association for Women’s Student’s president that we may want to consider a short-term loan program. One of the things I will be pushing is for that all-purpose account that was designated to successive administrations. I want to consider creating a small short-term loan account. Capping off at $500 per student program.” said Sumner.
In light of budget cuts and expenditure freezes in departments SGA is one of the departments that is still allowed to expend money.
Sumner continued. “Student Government Association has received a lot of departmental requests for financial assistance. Of course we are in the worst economic time Southern University has ever been in its 130-year history. And things only get worse. Departments are saying either this service has been carried out and we need to pay these people or we have something that is extremely important. For example the honor’s college has a convocation coming up and they don’t have the funding to pay for the program. We will be assisting them with a $500 contribution for that event. I ask that we create a discretionary fund for allocating money to those departments outside of what the senate already offers.”
Mervin Allen, SGA Treasurer, presented the treasurer’s report, comprised of revised SGA budgets and expense reports. Allen discussed the budgets for SGA and disclosed the overage of line item 4000 supplies for SGA by $5,790.
The bills for organizations that petitioned at the last senate meeting passed to allocate $500 for the Society of Leadership and Success and BEEP. The Bluff Radio Station petitioned for organizational funds.