Five NIU student organizations were allocated more than $44,730 Wednesday by the Student Association Finance Committee.

The budget requests must receive final approval from the SA Senate which will begin budgeting Feb. 28.

Forensics received $18,969, which is $21 more than they received last year. Travel, the largest section of the budget, received $14,000 for trips to universities for speech tournaments.

Todd Lipscomb, SA treasurer and finance committee chairman, said travel would be difficult to cut.

“I know $14,000 looks easy to cut, but it isn’t. They cannot provide us with an exact breakdown because they don’t know their tournament schedule,” he said.

The Residence Hall Association was allocated $11,846 after $2,000 of revenue was subtracted. The revenue comes from Tri-R vending machines located in all of the halls, said RHA President Willie Fowler.

Membership dues and travel expenses for three national and regional conferences were allocated $1,695. Fowler said the conferences help NIU’s residence halls become nationally recognized.

“We’ve won awards for our leadership abilities and put on workshops at the conferences,” he said.

Towers literary magazine, published by NIU’s English department, was allocated $8,476. The publication of two issues will use $8,000 of the budget.

Towers co-editor Jeanne Forst said one issue usually is published each semester.

Forst said one issue might be in color which costs more than black and white.

The committee recommended about $3,955 for the Black Choir. Although the committee does not allocate a large amount for postage, the choir received $90.

Committee member Regina Hudson said next year is the choir’s twentieth anniversary and extra postage is needed to mail information to all past members of the choir.

The committee zero funded a gospel workshop at Western Illinois University. Committee member Joe Simchak said the choir could ask for supplemental funding (after the budgeting process is over) and they already are attending another workshop at Illinois State University.