Every year, the Student Association allocates money to all student organizations and services on campus. For the past three years, that amount of money has slowly increased.

This year, the increases present a challenge for the SA. The organizations have requested nearly $2.3 million for the 2008-2009 school year, and the SA cannot adequately fund them, said SA Treasurer Ricky Garcia.

“It’s a really difficult situation where you don’t have a lot of money but you need more,” Garcia said, noting the SA’s budget for this year is as much as $1.6 million.

Student Services, which includes Campus Child Care, the Residence Hall Association and Student’s Legal Assistance, receive the majority of the SA’s funding. About 55 percent of the $2.3 million requested is from these groups, Garcia said.

Garcia also said one of the largest underfunded groups on campus is Recreational Services, which has been “operating on a deficit.”

Recreational Services Director Sandi Carlisle said “funding is tight for many departments across campus,” and despite their best efforts, it is becoming difficult.

“What we can provide for students becomes more challenging each year with increasing costs in personnel wages, equipment purchases, and operations,” Carlisle said.

Carlisle said the SA funds 35 percent of Recreational Services.

Supplemental funding requests

Rising costs are affecting numerous organizations that pay student workers. Garcia said he recently received a $17,000 supplemental funding request from Campus Child Care as a “result of a minimum wage increase, and it was not reflected in their budget.”

Supplemental funding is additional funds the SA gives out to organizations if an emergency situation arises. The SA has only $30,000 available at the beginning of the school year. The SA has approved $2,750 in supplemental funding, according to the Northern Star’s archives.

Fixing the situation

As treasurer, Garcia is the head of the SA finance committee, which reviews the budgets of all student organizations and makes recommendations on them; the SA Senate approves them.

“How are we going to distribute these funds?” Garcia said. “This question doesn’t have an answer.”

Garcia said a few options are being considered. One option is raising the student activity fee.

“Each student pays ‘X’ amount of fees. A percentage goes to student activity fees,” Garcia said, noting the SA gets its money from the fee.

Garcia, however, said raising the fee is only a temporary solution and that “you can’t keep raising the fee.”

Garcia said a raise in the student activity fee has not been determined as of yet. Decisions affecting the next fiscal year are determined in March.