Guest column: Banking on the SGA

Last Wednesday, the Student Government Association legislature approved a budget appeal that  the SGA Finance Committee, the board that oversees the budget application process for more than 350 student groups, had initially rejected.

As a member of the committee and South Campus Commons legislator, I would first like to commend Vice President of Finance Andrew Steinberg for leading an efficient and fair finance process. Under this year's executive leadership, the organization implemented a policy to assign finance liaisons to student groups; this improved the clarity of the finance process so thoroughly that only one student group appealed to the full legislature: the SGA itself.

In Thursday's article, "Officials clash over extra SGA funding," The Diamondback reported on the appeals process. As a member of both the Finance Committee that denied the SGA appeal and the legislature that approved the appeal, I would like to offer my insight and further illuminate the situation. As the article mentioned, the SGA's appeal requested funding for three specific events: the Student Groups Awards Ceremony, an academic "Second Look Fair" and a multicultural expo, which will all be held during the spring semester. These events are directed toward student groups and aim to ease the financial and organizational burden of hosting large-scale, collaborative events. 

The main concern expressed during the debate was that funding for these events would be available through reserves, which are used for discretionary funding for initiatives that help the SGA carry out its duties. However, under the current structure, reserves are not secured for specific purposes — a complication that could threaten the existence of these events. As a result, it is not practical for the event-hosting branch of the SGA, to rely on this non-guaranteed source of funding to host such essential events.  

As a result, SGA President Steve Glickman presented a budget that requested funding to benefit the student body for these three events. The money requested was specifically earmarked so it would not go into the general operations of the SGA but rather would be effectively returned to student groups. The legislature saw that the nature of these requests inherently benefits student groups and the overall student body. Therefore, the SGA legislature overwhelmingly approved the appeal.

As a legislator intimately involved in the fair and equitable distribution of student activities fees, I can assure you the SGA does not take the task of allocating more than $1.5 million lightly. Wednesday night, the SGA did not vote to enhance its own bank account — rather, it voted to help fund events that will enhance the experience of undergraduate students on the campus. The SGA has and will continue to be fiscally responsible with your money. Through the fair allotment of these funds, the SGA will continue to ensure that the priorities of students and student groups remain our priorities.

Lisa Crisalli is the SGA's South Campus Commons legislator and a member of the finance committee. She can be reached at lcrisalli at gmail.com.