Student Senate held another business meeting on Oct. 15 at 5:30 p.m. The meeting included a discussion about possible funding proposals in the future.
Student Trustee Michael Kelly, a senior with a double major in communications and sociology, discussed several funding proposals for Clubs and Organizations, a full-time staff member for Student Senate, and for fraternities and sororities.
According to Kelly, $21,000 was requested for Clubs and Organizations last year, and they were approved. However, they still had to turn away over 20 clubs last year due to running out of funding within the first semester. If approved, Clubs and Organizations will receive more funding to provide for UNC.
The full-time staff member for Student Senate would provide them with professional support for Senate, as well as the Student Body. This proposal is for $43,000 with benefits.
Kelly also discussed the proposal for $56,000 in order to pay for the board members of Fraternity and Sorority Life. This will include the Interfraternity Council, Panhellenic Council, and the Multicultural Greek Council.
According to Julia Cable, a Councilor of Education & Behavioral Sciences as well as the Director of Risk Management for the CPC, the Fraternities and Sororities do not receive any funding. Each organization is required to hold several events across campus due to the national requirements for each specific group, but the tight budget restricts the fraternities and sororities.
According to Alex De Boer and Zach Day, Councilors of Monfort College of Business, the dues paid by each member at the beginning of the semesters doesn’t come close to the proposed $56,000. The fraternities don’t see a lot of the money made from dues because it’s used for insurance, and other required fees.
Most of the work the fraternities and sororities do are considered to be volunteer work, De Boer said.
Mallory Gibson, the Councilor of Performing & Visual Arts, made the suggestion to possibly change the proposal to instead of paying the board members, they could provide the funding for events around campus.
In other news, Kelly also discussed the possibility of working on the University’s Fiscal Sustainability. Currently, UNC has had a five year sustainability plan since June 2014, which includes sustainable cost savings, spending reserves while revenues catch up to expenditures, and limiting the cost increases primary to investments that support enrollment growth.
UNC has increased the enrollment numbers, but the budget cut could affect funding in some places.
Kelly said the Governor’s FY19 budget has put a 3 percent cap limit on increasing tuition each year for students.
Due to this budget cut, some of the ways to cash flow positively include not increasing the number of faculty members; holding, eliminating, and restructuring vacant positions; non-personal expenditure; and having a multi-year strategic investment budget, Kelly said.
“PVA feels as we don’t have enough information about the budget cut to make a decision yet,” GIbson said.
The suggestions about the budget cuts will be given to the Board in February, Kelly said.
The applications for student ambassadors and orientation leaders also opened on Monday, and will close Jan. 21.
Jen Gaskill, the Direct Service and Volunteer Coordinator of Sexual Assault Awareness, also presented in order to “raise awareness of sexual assault.”
SAAC provides individual or group therapy, as well as a 24-hour hotline in order to provide crisis intervention and counseling.
Student Senate will hold another meeting on Nov. 29 at 5:30 p.m.
