On Feb. 8, SGA announced to clubs and organizations applying for funding that they have run out of club funding for the semester.
Director of Finance Amanda Ford shared information on the Budget Advisory Committee’s budget and reasons for the exhaustion of resources this year.
In August 2023, BAC started the fiscal year with $83,474.12 in the budget, which Ford noted is $40,000 less than the previous year due to the 9% GAR tax. This funding was exhausted by December, and BAC was allocated another $54,500 from the Carryforward Reserve Fund. When the spring semester started, BAC had $41,189.33 remaining in their budget.
As of Feb. 2, BAC exhausted the remaining funds in the budget. “It is important to note that BAC funding is first come, first serve. We have had an influx of clubs requesting funding so far this semester,” Ford said.
According to Ford, BAC received requests from 21 clubs asking for funding for events before the funds ran out.
Ford said the low Student Activity Fee, which is currently at $16.06 per student for the fall and spring semesters and $8.03 for the summer, combined with the full return of GAR to exhaust BAC’s budget early.
“We have seen dwindling club funding levels due to increased costs, but SGA has always been able to supplement these shortfalls with their reserves,” Ford said. “However, with everything we have pulled for clubs this year, this is no longer possible, as our reserves have been exhausted.”
Ford added that “this is the first time club funding has been exhausted in a very long time.”
Clubs who didn’t get funding
Club leaders who were denied funding are now potentially facing low event attendance and difficulty hosting formal events in May.
Sofia Cruz Duke, president of El Circulo de Español, was denied funding and raised concerns about the effects on club membership, especially how it will affect end-of-semester recruitment. “This clearly will have an impact on campus life in a school that already struggles with having the prevalent commuter-centric ambiance,” she said.
Denied funding poses a substantial setback for clubs like Duke’s that rely on financial resources to bolster engagement, especially for clubs that still have few members after the pandemic.
Duke expressed disappointment with not being notified of the exhaustion of funding until a week before her event.
“This shortfall not only impacts campus life but also raises concerns regarding the accuracy and transparency of the available funding resources, leaving us feeling disappointed by what seemed like false promises,” Duke said.
Jacquie Leindecker, vice president of Chi Sigma Iota, expressed similar concerns. She was disappointed funding ran out so early in the semester, noting she spent time gathering information to apply for funding earlier than she did the previous year. “I was shocked to be told that funding has run out,” she said.
Leindecker said she wishes the funding proposal form was closed when BAC ran out of funds because in her experience, it takes a lot of time and energy to fill out.
“I hope that UCCS can offer alternatives for clubs like mine so that we can leave a positive impression on graduating students and have confidence in our university supporting clubs,” she said.
Robert Drone, president of Mountain Lion Cyber Club, was very happy with how professionally SGA released this information. After getting denied funding, he requested more information on why he was denied and what he can do in the future to prevent it.
“I was very, very impressed with both their quick response and very detailed explanation of why, and the thing they’re trying to do to prevent that in the future,” Drone said.
Ford believes that raising the Student Activity Fee could prevent BAC from running out of funds in the future. This is being proposed for students to vote on during the election week, which starts on March 4 and ends on March 8.
The proposal will increase the total to $30.40 per student for the fall and spring semesters and $15.20 per student for the summer.
“Unless the ballot initiative passes, we will be looking at a very tight budget again, and I cannot guarantee this will not happen again,” Ford said.
Clubs who did not receive funding can seek alternative funding through:
- Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion’s Inclusive Excellence and Belonging (IEB) Fund — https://mlc.uccs.edu/submitter/form/start/603419
- University Center Event Grant Application — https://mlc.uccs.edu/submitter/form/start/597737
- Club Cash ($100) — contact Becca Cherpak at [email protected]
- Department funding — clubs like History Club or Social Work Club may be able to seek funding through their department.
Photo from The Scribe Archives.