by Joe Harris
senior editor

A Look at SGA's Top 1999 Expenses

New copier $5,904.82 ASUM funding 2,500.00 Copier maintenance 1,500.00 Laserjet supplies 382.80 Microsoft Office2000 Professional 199.95 Car rentals 193.12 Software installation 75.00 EXPO booth 50.00 Visiting W. African students 43.76

With the school year half gone, the Student Government Association has few definite plans for nearly half of its $38,000 budget.

Questions arose after SGA chair D. Mike Bauer, in an article in The Current last week, said, "We've [SGA] got a $40,000 budget that's just been sitting there. We haven't done anything with it all year."

Steve Wolfe, acting SGA president, said SGA's turmoil prevented any programming to take place last semester, but that shouldn't be the case this semester. Wolfe said SGA will put together the Big Event and co-sponsor one or more campus events this semester to satisfy their programming allotment. The Big Event is a nationwide public service event. Last year was the first year UM-St. Louis participated in it.

"The one I can definitely say is the Big Event," Wolfe said. "I have already talked to [Joe] Flees and he's the chairman of it again. He doesn't have a date for it yet. He told me the national date coincides with our spring break and that was one of the problems I think with the event last year."

Wolfe said that a date will be set for the Big Event shortly and that another co-sponsorship is in a planning stage with several other student organizations. Wolfe said he has approached several student organizations about the co-sponsorship but hasn't received any commitments yet.

Michael Rankins, former SGA vice-president and current SGA representative, is helping with this year's SGA budget request. He said everything from last year's allocation has been used effectively up to this point.

"With the exception of Darwin Butler's salary, which has been stopped since he's been gone, expenses have been the same for SGA," Rankins said. "We still have office operations, we have additional salaries, we have three secretaries part-time, and we have also hosted a number of events."

According to Student Activities, SGA spent money on a copier-maintenance agreement, telephone bills, mailings, advertising in The Current, office supplies, a booth at EXPO, a subscription to the Chronicle of Higher Education, pagers, and catering.

Records indicate SGA hosted one activity last semester: the visit of a delegation of visiting South African students from the University of Western Cape.

Rankins said SGA has spent about $21,000 of its $38,000 allotment for this year. He said SGA will ask for approximately $55,000 for next year.

One of the criteria for budget allocations for next year is effective use of previous budgets. With the Student Activities budget committee's deadline for proposed budgets passing on Jan. 14, SGA's use of this year's budget may have an impact on next year's allocation.

Aaron Farmer, SGA representative for Sigma Pi fraternity, said that any organization that misuses its allocation should be punished with future budget cuts.

"Our student fees are already outrageously high so if there is any misappropriation, then that's something that should be taken up with Student Activities and the administration," Farmer said.

Bryan Shaw, SGA comptroller and co-chair of the Student Activities Budget Committee, said the SABC has met several times and that all of the criteria for deciding budgets will be weighted evenly. The SABC decides how much money each student organization will get from the student activities fees.

"We basically outlined everything in the budget packet, and all the members had to go to the workshop," Shaw said, "but at those meetings we didn't say, 'Hey we're going to emphasize these priorities and these are less important than others.'"

The SABC will have to consider all of its criteria when deciding on SGA and every other student organization's budget. Rick Blanton, director of Student Activities, said only about $400,000 is available and the SABC expects approximately $800,000 in requests.

Blanton said priority is given to student organizations which benefit all students. Priorities are also given, he said, to student organizations that promote co-curricular interaction between students and faculty and staff.

"Most of the allocation process is geared on how much we've got as it relates to how much we had the year before," Blanton said, "and how many organizations asked for allocations last year and how many organizations ask for allocations this year."

SGA has received a lot of negative publicity about embattled SGA President Butler's personal situation, and as a result Wolfe said SGA has been limited on what it could do last semester.

Shaw, though, said the publicity wouldn't necessarily hurt SGA during the budget process.

"I guess some of that goes with having to determine just how negative that publicity is," Shaw said. "Some people say negative publicity is publicity and any publicity is good publicity. So I think it's difficult to evaluate just what exactly the impact the Darwin Butler situation has had with UM-St. Louis' image within the community."

SABC member Joshua Stegeman said there's a bigger issue at hand in deciding SGA's budget. Stegeman said he thinks SGA hasn't served the entire student population effectively.

"If we are going to judge every other organization on the same basis, then I do not think SGA should be able to escape because of its power, size and influence on campus," Stegeman said. "One of the criteria is serving the entire campus. So far SGA hasn't done that."

Blanton said 13 copies of the budgets are made once they are received. One copy is given to each of the SABC members, one is given to Blanton and one is given to Roberta Holst, administrative associate of Student Activities.

Blanton said the members first review the budgets to decide which ones need a hearing. Then they send letters to the organizations either asking them to set up appointments for their hearings or informing them that a hearing isn't necessary but they are entitled to one if they wish.

Blanton said that after the hearing, the SABC will deliberate on a tentative allocation based on the particular organization's request and the amount of money available. Then a letter with the amount of the tentative request is sent to the organizations, giving them a chance to appeal.

Blanton said that after hearing the appeal, the SABC may adjust the allocation.

Blanton said this year's process will not be easy given the scarcity of funds.

"We've had two straight years where we've had a student body president who has mandated no increase in the student activities fee," Blanton said. "But the number of request orders keeps going up and inflation keeps having an impact on what it costs for goods and services, so in essence the budget committee is losing ground even though the reservoir is staying about the same."