Surplus goes to student center
By Sarah Rykowski
News Writer
With a sizeable surplus from last year's budget, the Saint Mary's Board of Governance donated money toward the construction of the new student center and funded new clubs and activities.
"Hopefully we can give more back to the students," executive treasurer Kim
Jensen said. "I still have clubs coming to ask for funding and recognition, some of the money will go for that. If nothing comes it will carry over until next year."
The money BOG spends each year comes from the student activity fee, $150 each student pays at the start of the fall semester.
According to Georgeanna Rosenbush, Director of Student Activities, the fee was not always that high.
"In 1991 and 1992, we hardly had any money," Rosenbush said. "The student fee used to be $40 dollars. Then they did a survey of like colleges, and found that the average student activity fee was $150 a year."
After this survey, Saint Mary's raised the fee to $75 a year.
"That's what gave people money to do things," Rosenbush said. "Without that, people would laugh at us."
The eventual doubling of the activity fee, Rosenbush said, was caused by inflation and rising costs for events and transportation, among other things.
"Those costs have gone up, especially the parent weekends," Rosenbush said. "Students didn't want to combine events, and we couldn't keep those events going otherwise."
With the higher student activity fee, Rosenbush believes, more students are able to participate in activities such as formals and parent weekends. If students had to pay all of those costs individually, many would be cut out.
"The money in the budget is used for your classes, your halls, the five boards, the parent weekends, the senior formal, and senior week," Rosenbush said. "We also use the money to pay for buses and other transportation to events, and to pay for the events."
The expenses vary from year to year, and it is Jensen's responsibility to see this year's expenses do not exceed the budget.
"It changes from year to year," Rosenbush said.
"What [BOG has] to do is set aside a pool of money for this stuff and wait and see."
Midnight Madness, Saint Mary's largest school-wide event, received additional funding this year from the surplus.
"This year we are doing more for Midnight Madness," Jensen said. "I hope students would consider it an added perk. I hope students would appreciate this."
Campus clubs and organizations also received additional funding.
"This year they gave classes money and clubs more money," Rosenbush said. "So they are kicking [the money] back to the students."
But BOG isn't sure if there will be a budget surplus again next year.
"Everything went up this year," Rosenbush said. "Everybody's prices went up. It also depends on what the classes decide to do each year."
All News Stories for Friday, March 1, 2002
