The Facts: Student Government’s Finance Committee is under budget by $6,300, nearly 40 percent of their initial budget of $16,500. If this money is not spent or allotted to an organization by the end of the fiscal year, their future budgets will be reduced by the excess amount.
Our Opinion: The Finance Committee should either find a worthy use of this new money, or the need for such a large budget should be reevaluated. Clubs and other student groups who meet the requirements should be fighting for the chance to do something worthwhile with this money.
In the wake of this current budget crisis N.C. State and the rest of the UNC-system are facing, Student Government has the luxury of being under budget for the 2010-2011 fiscal year. Clubs around campus have $6,300 to get their hands on. This could buy some really nice brooms for the Quidditch team or help a club host a speaker on campus. While they have this opportunity to get something that will help benefit the clubs, the students and the community, if nothing can be found to employ the money efficiently then the Finance Committee should reevaluate the need for such a large budget next year.
Clubs should be looking to use this opportunity. It is a very nice cushion for N.C. State clubs to fall back on during these financially difficult times. Student leaders of clubs and organizations should be looking to improve their group’s offerings, their members’ experience and raise campus awareness about the issues they think are important.
In this time of The Great Recession, we all have had to find ways to pinch pennies and cut corners to save a few bucks. If next year’s budget were cut by this excess, that would save 600,000 pennies. Sounds like a good corner to cut. If they could not find clubs that wanted these funds, then the demand is obviously not there, so don’t continue to supply it.
The bottom line should be to make a difference with this money and not let it go away. Instead of piddling away this money for the sake of spending if no use is found, the Finance Committee should find a collective cause or project that students of campus organizations find important and put the money towards it. Philanthropy could promote our clubs as well as aid those in need.
N.C. State organizations have a chance to give back to the community at the University, Raleigh and even North Carolina. Because of their nature, they can easily find something worthwhile to use the money for. They should see the importance of this opportunity and not merely waste it on a temporary quick fix to ensure they get their money next year. We can find a worthy cause to drop this money into before it falls out of Student Government’s pocket.
