Student Government is determining how to dole out $48,000 of appropriations funds to deal with $134,728.34 worth of requests from various student organizations.

Kelli Rogers, Student Senate Appropriations Committee chair, said student groups seem to be submitting inflated requests, usually as a way to ensure that they get enough money after any cuts.

This speaks of a broken appropriations system that underfunds groups submitting honest requests and lets dishonesty pay off.SG needs to track the year-to-year activities of all student groups requesting money and create a strong auditing system that gives priority to organizations that have a consistent record of activity and service.

The current system requires student organizations to submit a general overview of activities and a detailed breakdown of how the organization plans to use appropriated funds, Rogers said. However, SG does not specifically request a list of any group’s activities from the past year ­ it relies on previous request forms and the honesty of groups submitting appropriations requests.

The existing safeguards are inadequate ­ according to Rogers, the request forms stipulate that any inflated submissions would immediately be denied. Worse, Rogers said, some student senators may be encouraging organizations to submit inflated request, claiming that appropriations will cut the amount given regardless of other factors.

Students deserve a better system. SG leaders owe their constituents an honest system and student organizations need to know that they will get a fair chance at receiving appropriations money. Changing the SG budget, increasing fees and implementing stronger oversight can fix this problem.Rogers said there is very little room for change in the SG budget ­ any extra money comes from surpluses from previous years.

And students do not want to be burdened with extra fees, even if such increases help fund organizations to which they belong. While a fee increase may ultimately solve budget shortfalls, it will not fix the existing problem. SG must find ways to guarantee that student organizations submit honest requests for appropriations funds.

A system that tracks group activities from year-to-year can put appropriations back on an honest track. And it needs to start today.