In Week 1 of Fall Quarter at UC San Diego, discussions on budget allocations for student organizations were brought to the fore during the Associated Students meeting on Oct. 4.
AVP of Student Organizations Cesar Orellana presented a budget request, facilitated by CFO Krishna. He articulated a discernible gap between the allocated and required funds to accommodate student organization operations through weeks 0-5 of the fall budget. An initial allocation of $85,000 was recognized to be insufficient. It was subsequently augmented to $123,000, with an additional $50,000 from the Summer 2023 unallocated expenses. This was proposed during the meeting to comprehensively meet the identified financial needs.
The presented context revealed that student organizations forwarded approximately 200 funding requests, covering a variety of necessities such as food, flyers, equipment rentals, and room reservation fees. A sizable portion of these requests has already received approval, while the remaining await additional funding.
During the discussion, the protocol for approving funding was clarified, highlighting the existence of partial funding in certain instances. This was attributed to the guidelines and restrictions stipulated in the A.S. funding guide. In other words, specific items, categorized as permanent, are ineligible for funding, while others, such as food, are permissible.
An examination of the financial specifics illustrated a shortfall, with A.S. Council calculating it would approximately need $20,000 to accommodate 31 frozen requests. A solution was proposed to allocate an additional $50,000 from the general unallocated funds, amalgamating $37,500 initially awarded and the $20,000 anticipated for the frozen requests. The intention for these funds is to bolster the programming funds for student organizations from Weeks 0-5. Any unutilized funds post-week five would be earmarked to be used in the general unallocated fund for the executive budget.
In light of the current fiscal strain, alterations to the funding guide were suggested. This included the incorporation of funding caps and revisions to allowable request amounts in relation to projected attendance, with the objective of streamlining future financial allocation and preventing recurrence of similar issues.
One query, proposed by Warren Senator Ivan Ramirez, addressed the protocol of declining funding requests upon exhaustion of available funds, as per the statements within the funding guide. Out-of-state Asha Krishna responded by highlighting a preference to adhere to TAP deadlines and explore all available funding options before declining offers. This would thus provide student organizations every possible opportunity to access required funds and minimize disruptions to the Center for Student Involvement and SLBO.
The meeting concluded with a vote, resulting in a 21-3 outcome in favor of the motion sponsored by CFO Krishna, thereby approving an additional $50,000 from the summer 2023 unallocated expenses to cater to student organization funding for weeks 0-5 in 2023.
The decision brought a resolution to the financial deliberations and actions evaluated throughout the meeting by UCSD AS.
