Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Student Fees Increase

So as yall may know the SGA is tryna increase student fees by $25, from $235 to $260.  I remember when I was a young first year and I didn't know what student fees were I thought they were bullshit.  But they contribute to a bunch of things, including terrorist organizations like The Point News.

Anyway, we're tryna raise them because they have not been raised since 2003 for the purpose of increasing the SGA budget.  They have been raised twice in the past few years for green initiatives that students felt were worth paying more money for.  But since 2003, the operating budget of the SGA has remained the same, despite inflation and other new costs.  These things include:

  • New clubs!  Several new clubs are created every year, and some are hella expensive like Crew and club sports via tournament fees, and other clubs like FUSE like to host cool events and have speakers.
  • Inflation!  Stuff goes up in price over time like
    • Media tech and club sports trainer salaries/fees
    • Movie screening fees
    • Gas prices
    • Prices of goods that clubs buy via SGA funds
    • Costs to bring in speakers
    • etc.
  • Campus farm and bike shop are two things that the SGA is helping to fund, two organizations that students have shown that they feel are important to the campus.
  • Bribing people!
  • The thousands of dollars that Marlena and I funnel from the SGA budget every month, which we spend on hookers and cocaine!
    • This stuff is hella expensive which is a large contributing factor to the student fee increase.
Anyway, please comment with thoughts or responses, and if you have further questions please come to the SGA meeting tonight at 8 in Schaefer 106 where you will be able to ask questions and such.

Also if you want to see the SGA budget it's on the SGA website.

6 comments:

  1. not to mention the thousands of dollars Matt Smith steals from the budget to expand his collection of metal t-shirts

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  2. I graduated a few years back, and, in retrospect, this tiny chunk of your yearly tab at SMCM is some of the best money you'll spend. It keeps the clubs running and funded, the non-club SGA financed media entities (TPN and Hawk Radio) up and running, and allows any student to walk into the lecture room on a Tuesday night with little more than a half-assed powerpoint and a dream, and walk away with a funded project (as long as it isn't terribly lame). That, and given that my yearly expenses for entertainment are now into the $1,000s, $260 doesn't seem like all that bad of a deal.

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  3. how'd the meeting go tonight? did people against the increase actually come and stuff? just wondering, sorta curious!

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  4. Looking forward to your recap! I heard lots of stuff went down.

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  5. Also - Saferide! ( I think. Memory is a bit fuzzy.)

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  6. yeah second anonymous person!!! word on the street is that this passed :)

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