MSA asking for more budget documents

Posted to On Campus by Eva Dou at 7:36 p.m., Dec. 4, 2008

Organizations seeking increased student fees for the next fiscal year must provide the review committee with detailed budgets, according to a Missouri Students Association bill passed on Wednesday.

Under this legislation, groups that want the Student Fee Review Committee’s recommendation for a student fee increase for fiscal year 2010 must supply itemized budgets for fiscal years 2008, 2009 and 2010.

MSA Senate Speaker Jonathan Mays, one of the bill’s sponsors, said a previous bill passed last semester laid the groundwork for the adequate documentation standard, which was clarified through Wednesday’s bill.

Mays emphasized the importance of documents in helping the committee make informed decisions.

Before the vote, Mays reminded the senators how the Student Health Center’s itemized budgets this year helped committee members decide against an increase for the center next year. The budgets showed that the increase they asked for would partly go to fund a new position that committee members deigned unnecessary therefore they denied the increase.

“That’s just an example of the type of good, solid recommendations we can get when we have this type of information,” Mays said.

On Wednesday, the MSA Senate passed four other bills related to the student fees.

The fee for the MU chapter of the Associated Students of Missouri was reduced by 36 cents, as requested by the organization. Bills were also passed to maintain the funding level for Jesse Auditorium, MU Parking and Transportation Services and the Student Fee Capital Improvement Committee.

Four bills regarding organizations that had requested increases were tabled because the organizations had not provided sufficient documentation under the newly passed standards.

The fees for the Graduate Professional Council, the Organization Resource Group, Summer College Readership Program and Missouri Student Unions will be reconsidered when the groups submit the appropriate budget sheets.

SFRC Chairwoman Gwen Daniels, who is a columnist for The Maneater, said all organizations were notified of the required documentation at least a month ago. She said she is working with groups to obtain the documents.