Every semester, each student pays $28.75 to fill SGA's Student Activity Project budget. However, the process of distributing the funds is more complicated than a simple charge to the bursar account.
The budget is divided among nine campus organizations, known as Student Activity Projects: Auburn Circle, Black Student Union, Glomerata, Eagle Eye, International Student Organization, WEGL, IMPACT, University Program Council and SGA itself.
According to Vanessa Tarpos, SGA vice president, SAPs are different than other campus organizations.
"I would say that the size would have a big part of that," Tarpos said. "You know, groups like UPC have hundreds of members. And then there's the smaller organizations, like a men's lacrosse club that gets together every week, and it's 10 guys and they need some equipment and that's all they really need for the whole year."
Alternative Student Breaks was recently approved by the Senate as a new SAP and will go through the formal process of submitting a budget next fall.
"I don't want to necessarily say that size is the only definition," Tarpos said. "It's a lot of what they do for the school and what they bring to the entire campus.
"I think the number of students that a group like UPC or IMPACT or Alternative Student Breaks\0xAD\0xAD--these organizations reach out to the entire campus and all students have access to them."
Tarpos said SGA has a separate budget for regular student organizations. However, the SAP budget is significantly larger. At the beginning of every fall, the SAPs must submit requests for funds from the budget.
"It comes through our Senate, and that's how they get the funding. And so the whole funding process is run through the Senate," said Curry Stevenson, SGA treasurer.
According to Stevenson, the SAPs must submit a form by June 1 explaining how they used their funding from the previous year and what funds they are requesting for the upcoming year.
"Basically, this summer, as treasurer, they'll turn these sheets in to me electronically, and I go through and check," Stevenson said. "I send them out a sheet with all the formulas. I go through the formulas and check again and verify with our records that their totals for what they received the previous year carry over."
There are certain stipulations associated with the request for funds. SAPs are not permitted to request more than a 20 percent increase in funding for any individual line item in their budget. All line items must be explained.
Any money left over in an SAP's budget is returned to the general pool of funds unless the organization can present an acceptable argument for keeping it.
After the forms are examined by Stevenson, they are turned over to the SGA's budget and finance committee for a more in-depth look.
The SAPs will then have a chance to present their case to the SGA Senate at the beginning of the fall semester.
"The way it's been done this year is each SAP comes in with 10 minutes to present their budget," Stevenson said. "They'll come in, and they have 10 minutes to present their project to the senate, to present their budget. And the (budget and finance) committee will have had these budgets ahead of them for up to a month at a time."
Stevenson said as treasurer she is also required to present the SGA's budget to the SGA Senate for final approval.
The Senate has the power to decide whether to accept the SAPs' requests or to make changes. Afterward, the budget and finance committee prepares a final budget that is voted on by the Senate.
According to Tarpos, SGA has tried to redefine the process by which an organization can become, and remain, a SAP.
"We want to have groups that are going to be sustainable for a number of years at the school," Tarpos said.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
