Published on Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Students deserve to know reasons for SA Budget differential

By NORTHERN STAR STAFF

Most people enjoy knowing precisely how their money is used.

When you pay for groceries or when you use a stamp, there’s an understanding that the little tax you pay goes to Uncle Sam, and he divides it up for all different parts of the government. But what happens to those student fees everyone pays? It’s one thing to see where percentages of your paycheck go (your boss prints it on the pay stub), but when your student loans magically wash away tuition and fees, do students check where every cent winds up?

Well, the Student Association’s budget is one place where those precious nickels and dimes eventually add up, and once those Lincolns and Washingtons reach their destinations, they become part of the division process.

Student groups bring their claims to the SA and attempt to get a piece of the pie; some get more, some get less, but no matter the amount, that money comes from the all-too-shallow pockets of students. The SA published a list of the student groups that received money, which included the amount a group was given and the amount that group asked for.

Campus Activities Board asked for $456,453 but was only granted $227,949. NIU Ice Hockey received $20,870, which is more than the $20,675 received by the Residence Hall Association. So the question is: Why are these amounts disproportional?

NIU Ice Hockey does not have as many students involved with its organization as RHA. Perhaps, though, they operate under more severe economic restraints. Either way, all groups that applied for money did not get exactly what they wanted, and they still operate. So, student groups work without receiving 100 percent of their funding from the SA. At least, that would be the logical conclusion, since groups like Event Production Services received approximately half of what they requested. And if groups are able to operate semi-independently, then why are their requests so large?

A little transparency in the requests for money wouldn’t hurt. Students can probably accept the fact that part of their tuition funds organizations they are not a part of. Knowing exactly what the requested money will be used for would be beneficial to anyone contributing money to the cause. Don’t you want to know what your student fees are funding?

When it comes to knowing exactly who gets whose money, NIU functions the same way as the federal government. You know it’s going somewhere for something good, but a little clarification of the organizations' demands wouldn’t hurt anyone.