By RAEGAN NEUFELD
Tiger Media Network
Fort Hays State University’s student senators passed eight resolutions and one additional bill on Thursday regarding Student Fees, completing the annual review process.
Athletic Bands, the Student Government Association, Tiger Media Network, Civic Engagement, Campus Intramurals and Tiger Debs will see an increase in the amount of money they receive from Student Fees during the next fiscal year. The Food and Hunger Initiative, Parking, Educational Opportunity Fund, Tiger Fitness Center, Memorial Union, Athletics and Health and Wellness Services fees will all stay the same.
Fee increases:
- Athletic Bands – $0.03 increase for $0.91 per credit hour
- Student Government Association – $0.03 increase for $0.55 per credit hour
- Tiger Media Network – $0.03 increase for $2.26 per credit hour
- Civic Engagement – $0.03 increase for $0.55 per credit hour
- Campus Intramurals – $0.07 increase for $0.86 per credit hour
- Tiger Debs – $0.02 increase for $0.14 per credit hour
Senators also passed a resolution to stop providing funds via Student Fees to SafeRide, a now-defunct service. Previously, SafeRide received $0.21 per credit hour from the Public Safety and Awareness fee.
The remaining $51,196.92 in the SafeRide fee account will be dispersed to Athletics ($25,000), Health and Wellness Services ($20,000), Campus Intramurals ($5,000) and Athletic Bands ($1,196.92), as stated in Bill No. 24-S-111.
The bill also states that the fees for the above entities will “either be unable to meet future budgetary obligations, incur significant financial reserve losses, or will be unable to meet their budgetary obligations in the near future.”
With the fee review process done, the next task for SGA is Allocations. According to Treasurer Jackson Sinsel, the committee has significantly less money to allocate this year compared to last year. However, that was the expectation.
“That was to be expected after our COVID reserves have kind of bled off,” he said. “Last year, we gave out almost $900,000, but it’s looking like it’ll be about $606,000 this year.”
The Allocations Committee will have the bill with money recommendations for each student organization up for first reading on Feb. 29 and its second reading will be March 7.
After the Educational Opportunity Fund bill was sent back to committee two weeks ago, the amended bill was presented at the meeting on Thursday.
If passed, the bill would give Student Engagement $9,800 for an Experiential Learning Initiative, an additional $4,450 for a 2nd Year LLC program and give Physics and additional $3,000. The amended bill recommends that Study Abroad be given $0 when previously it was recommended they receive $2,250.
Other SGA news:
- Senators passed a bill to move $5,000 from the Allocations account to the Appropriations account to use for this semester.
- Executive staff members and several senators attended Higher Education Day on Wednesday in Topeka to speak with members of the state legislature. According to Legislative Affairs Director Austin Ruff, many legislators were interested in the expansion of the nursing program and the proposed expansion of Stroup Hall.
- Two more senate seats were filled. Star Parham was approved as a senator of the College of Health and Behavioral Sciences, and Morgan Fischer was approved as a senator of the Werth College of Science, Technology and Mathematics.
The next SGA meeting will be at 7 p.m. on Feb. 22. The location is to be determined.