The Student Programming Committee (SPC) now has $650 to allocate over the remainder of the semester. “That is basically nothing,” said Brad Bishop ’08, SGA treasurer and head of SPC.
But the fact that SPC will probably not run out of funds before the end of the semester is an accomplishment, given that the committee allocated $16,600 of its $21,500 budget in the first five weeks. In the midst of the budget crisis, SPC also had to oversee a community service fund and attempt to create new procedures for funding service groups. Given these difficulties, SPC will likely carry this semester’s lessons into the spring.
According to committee member Alex McKinley ’08, SPC salvaged its remaining funds by paying close attention to requests. “We did that through really examining the budget’s that came in and making all the cuts we possibly could,” he said. SPC sent people to President Osgood and other sources for money, as well as asking groups to give increased personal contributions. Model UN, for instance, which received over $3,000 last year, received $750 this year.
“I don’t feel like we’ve been unduly harsh,” Bishop said, adding that he still was not happy with some outcomes. “We’ve had to cut or deny funding to groups that did have good ideas … but had shakier proposals.”
These cuts did not apply to community service organizations, requests which SPC also oversees separately. After allotting $10,000 to community service last year, SGA chose to only put $3,000 towards the groups this year.
This decision came after the college created a budget for Alternative Break, and moved the Community Service Center to the Chaplain’s office, overseen by Chaplain Deanna Shorb. Unfortunately, Shorb was unaware that SGA had cut back on its community service allotment, learning about it only in October
After realizing the miscommunication, SGA put another $2,000 towards community service groups, taking the money from STIFund and concerts, which will be paid next semester. “We were glad to help community service groups in that way as long as steps were being taken to centralize that process in the future,” said Bishop.
According to Shorb, groups often rely on the Community Service Center for travel expenses, but then go to the SPC’s funds for activities. Few, however, prefer this method, and SPC plans to allocate even less to community service next year, hoping the college will increase the Center’s budget.
“[SGA] has been as generous as they can, but now they’re out of money,” said Shorb.
Mary-Pat Twomey ’08, who co-coordinates Alt Break and Alternative Happy Hour, wants the institutional community service groups to be funded directly. “[SPC] shouldn’t be something an institutional organization should have to rely on,” she said.
SPC will continue to work with new service groups, despite its attempts to withdraw funding from established ones. “There’s always going to be a need for some funding from SGA,” said Bishop.
Bishop, along with the rest of SPC, will continue to work with campus groups to get funding, both for service and for student activities. But these challenges will help steer them next semester. “Overall, I think this semester’s budget crisis has been more a … lesson to SPC,” McKinley said.
