Congress won't beef up budget with more fees

In the wake of Student Congress’ budget woes, student officials said they will not champion efforts to increase student fees to cover the financial shortfalls.

“We have a lot of money,” said Daneen Furr, chairwoman of Congress’ Finance Committee. “Denying someone funding because we have to budget does not mean we have a lack of fees.”

At its budget meetings this weekend, Congress had to cut funding for some speakers, as well as printing and publicity costs, because of a lack of funding for the increased number of groups that applied.

But Furr noted that a messy surplus would result if student fees were raised, potentially creating more harm than benefit.

“I’ve decided not to go through with that,” she said. “It’s not good fiscal management.”

With concerns and complaints rising from various student organizations — particularly those that were denied money for speakers — Furr instead said she wants to change the funding process.

“I want there to be more flexible money in subsequent appropriations for speakers,” Furr said.

The philosophy behind allocations this year was a commitment to review each request with a broader picture in mind, leaders said.

“We have to fit each individual group and their needs as we see them into that whole,” Furr said.

But she said Congress also must prioritize funding to established organizations, as outlined in the Student Code.

“There are standards that we operate on,” said Speaker Charlie Anderson. “Some are through the Student Code, and some are through precedent.”

Among those standards are three central points that Anderson said lie at the heart of Student Congress’ allocation policies: an organization's cultural and educational value, vitality and specialization.

Congress decided last weekend that magazines requesting fees would only receive enough money to print their first issues. “There is a glut of publications on campus,” Anderson said. “Publications specifically had fairness issues.”

For this reason, it’s really just survival of the fittest, he said.

“Some proposals are good, but they are just too much to fund,” he said. “We had a lot of those.”

For organizations such as the Carolina Athletic Association that need to fulfill mandates spelled out in the Student Code, a certain level of experience and research is key to writing better proposals, said CAA Treasurer Ginny Franks.

“We’re the only student organization that’s codified,” Franks said. “I think they have a better sense of our funds and where the money is going.”

While Anderson and Furr encourage groups to resubmit their funding proposals in the fall, both realize the complexity of the issue at hand.

“It’s a double-edged sword,” Anderson said. “People are asking for the right things. They know the Code.”

Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.