Cody Shepard | Editor-in-ChiefSGA is given a portion of your student fees each semester. Where does the money go and do you ever see it again?

Cody Shepard | Editor-in-Chief
SGA is given a portion of your student fees each semester. Where does the money go and do you ever see it again?

Each ENC student pays $470 each semester for student fees—$940 for the entire year. Students pay this money to the college each year, but may not know how this money is allocated.

One-third of student fees go to the executive Student Government Association members’ salary, as divulged at the executive SGA elections preliminary panel back in February.

Questions arose concerning fairness in the distribution of student fees, but also spurred an even more general inquiry: Where does our money go?

SGA Vice President and Director of Finance Rebecca Shaw provided a breakdown for the Veritas News.

SGA receives only a portion of student fees, getting an allowance of $160 per semester, or $320 for a year (34% of total student fees). This amount fluctuates, though, as students drop out or transfer in for the spring semester.

“When students drop out, they get a certain percentage of their student fee back, so we never have a set budget for the year,” explained Shaw.

The SGA budget for the 2012-13 academic year is $193,236. From this lump sum, the budget was distributed in the following ways:

Executive SGA salaries: 29.33% or $56,676.12
Nautilus: 20% or $38,647.20
Veritas: 10% or $19,323.60
Social life: 6% or $11,594.16
Class and commuter councils: 4% or $7,729.44
Student discipleship groups and Revival speakers: 2% or $3,864.72
Variously amongst clubs, rec. life (intramurals), publicity, spiritual events (Kingdom Experience), etc.: >1% per fund, a total of 28.67% or $55,400.76

Shaw explained that this allotment system works essentially the same as last year’s budget; however, a new technique—funding proposals—has been implemented to provide additional funds to the “other” category.

Under the new system, ENC clubs or groups can request additional funds for events by submitting a proposal to SGA. The club must submit a detailed plan of the event, a breakdown of the cost, and state how the event will benefit ENC and the Quincy community. Then, SGA determines whether the money will be allotted or not.

“Funding proposals just began this year,” said Shaw. “And I think it’s been working out great.”

Next year (2013-14), SGA will be receiving a pay cut; only $295 of each student fee will be going to SGA, $25 less than this year. This is nearly an 8% cut for the SGA budget.

Shaw explained that the SGA members are looking to cut from each of the funds equally, with the possible exception of director of social life, which would receive less of a cut.

One thing is certain, most events and groups on campus would not be possible without student fees.