Campus Cuts: Club Budgets slashed by a quarter

There are many changes that have been announced at the University of St. Francis (USF) over the past weeks. Some may know that many staff and faculty members have been terminated, or that the school is around $6 million in debt after it was previously reported that there was only a deficit of $1 million. 

One change that has not been widely publicized throughout campus has been the budget cuts that have been made to student clubs. At the Student Government Association (SGA) meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 22, it was announced that the entire budget of SGA, reported to be $154,900, will be cut by 25%. 

At that SGA meeting, club presidents and class senators were asked to fill out a form on how they felt the budget cuts should be spread out. There is a large disparity in how much clubs receive from SGA, with many clubs receiving under $1,000 while many other clubs are receiving tens of thousands of dollars. One such example is Student Activities Board (SAB), which had a budget of $49,600, almost $25,000 more than the second highest budgeted club. 

During the time in between SGA meetings, many clubs anxiously waited to see what the final budget cuts would look like. Clubs were told to spend mindfully over the next couple of weeks in lieu of what the impending cuts may be. 

At the next SGA meeting which took place on Nov. 5, the final plan for the budget cuts was announced to be a 25% cut across the board for all clubs. This means that regardless of how much a club's budget was, whether it was Access for All Saints who originally made $400 all the way to SAB who made close to $50,000, they would all be receiving a 25% slash. The budget that SGA as a whole receives from the school is $116,265, meaning that a total of $38,635 was cut from the total SGA budget. This decision was made after meetings by the SGA Executive Board over the weekend prior to the SGA meeting, and was said to be made in the best interest of all of the clubs. 

The budget cuts are a cause for concern for many clubs on campus. There are many clubs who have planned ahead with their previous budget and will now have to rethink how to spend their minimized budget. Some clubs may not be able to put on events that were previously planned, while others may not be able to continue the services that their club puts out for students on campus. 

As cuts are made to staff, faculty and education, the student life aspects that are being cut are not being publicized as much as they should be. When these budget cuts are made, the effects that will take place will be felt throughout not only the student body, but the entire USF and Joliet community.