The Undergraduate Finance Committee, which divides students' $35 activities fee among student groups, gave less money than in years past to the Student Assembly, the class councils, and the Coed Fraternity and Sorority Council, but added to the budgets of the Programming Board and the Committee on Student Organizations.
The UFC budget totaled $410,000, based on projected enrollment patterns for next year, Dean of Student Life Holly Sateia said. The UFC allocates funds to "student-initiated, student-run, campus-wide ongoing programs" such as the CFSC, the class councils, COSO, the Programming Board and the Assembly, according to UFC guidelines.
The UFC is composed of one student representative from each group that receives funds, as well as four students appointed by the Assembly, Sateia said.
COSO received $56,800, $800 more than last year and the CFSC received $5,000, down from $6,200 last year. The class councils were given $8,000, $500 less than last year. Meanwhile, the Programming Board was given $209,000, more than half the UFC budget.
The Assembly received $24,000 from the UFC for the coming year, a decrease of $1,000 from the previous year, Assembly President Jon Heavey '97 said.
"The amount of power you have on campus is in certain ways proportionate to the size of your budget," Heavey said. "With the Assembly's budget being cut down from $45,000 a few years ago it is hard to remain prominent on campus."
Sateia said the reason for the large decrease in funds directed to the Assembly recently is "the services that the [Assembly] has provided to the community have changed over the years."
She said the Assembly used to provide campus-wide programming, such as lectures, which could cost up to $17,000 a year.
"The fluctuations in their allocations have reflected the changing function and services provided by their organization," Sateia said.
Programming Board Budget Chair Karen Lefrak '98 said although the Programming Board was not allocated as much money as it had originally asked for -- which was $252,900 -- it was "very happy with the allocations."
She said the Programming Board's proposal, like the proposals of the other UFC groups, included a brief description of the activities the Programming Board has in mind for the coming year as well as "a description of where every cent went the year before."
Class of 1999 President Frode Eilertsen '99 said the 1998 Class Council will get the most, and the incoming Class of 2001 will receive the least, because allocations are based on seniority.
The UFC Fall-term budget decisions will take effect this July.
