Emerson College’s only independent, student-run newspaper since 1947

The Berkeley Beacon

Emerson College’s only independent, student-run newspaper since 1947

The Berkeley Beacon

Emerson College’s only independent, student-run newspaper since 1947

The Berkeley Beacon

SGA allocations for student organizations likely to reach record high

SGA allocations for student organizations likely to reach record high

The Student Government Association could allocate nearly $1,000,000 to student organizations this year—its highest ever.

The maximum amount of money SGA can designate for student funding is $966,052. SGA already allocated $724,470 for student organization’s annual budgets for the 2018-2019 academic year during the Annual Budgetary Request process last semester. The rest—$241,852—is designated for granting appeal requests to SGA-recognized organizations.

Leftover annual budgets from organizations and roll-over from the previous year’s appeals partially fund the appeals account. Last year, the appeals account started at $248,965.

SGA recognized organizations requested $901,326 during the ABR process last semester. ABR allows SGA recognized organizations, and SGA itself, to apply for a yearly budget.

The money designated to fund organization’s budgets during ABR comes from a portion of the Student Services Fee, an $836 annual charge paid by all full-time undergraduate students.

For the 2017-2018 academic year, the Student Services Fee was $800—$36 less than this year. The increase for this year can be attributed to the 4.5 percent tuition increase.

“That was not a choice that we had made, that’s a choice the administration had made and we found out about later,” Executive Treasurer Ian Mandt said in regards to the tuition increase.  

Of the Student Services Fee, only $190 goes to SGA. The remaining 77 percent is shared with departments that provide student-oriented services and activities on campus, such as the Registrar’s Office and Student Life, as well as the Center for Health and Wellness and Emerson Counseling and Psychological Services.

Mandt said the executive treasurer and SGA advisor reserve the right to increase or decrease the amount of the Student Services Fee that goes to SGA, pending joint session approval.

“It’s not something that I’ve considered or explored,” Mandt said.  

News editor Riane Roldan did not edit this article due to a conflict of interest. Chris Van Buskirk contributed reporting.

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About the Contributor
Dylan Rossiter, Emerson '21
Dylan Rossiter is the Publisher for Consumer Products at the State House News Service, where he manages advertising, events, and the company's flagship newsletter, MASSterList. He served as The Berkeley Beacon's Operations Managing Editor overseeing finance, institutional advancement, and newsroom administration from May 2019 to July 2021. He is the only known disabled managing editor in the history of The Beacon. During his first semester at Emerson, Rossiter became Digital Strategist, where he overhauled The Beacon's website and helped transition the organization to a multi-platform daily. He guided The Beacon's digital platforms in that role, helping to triple the newspaper's online audience. Rossiter also helped develop and supervise the launch of The Berkeley Beacon Magazine, podcast unit, subscription service, and donor support program. He also served as a breaking news editor and the primary contact for legal standards and practices. Rossiter worked as an Assignment Editor with NBCUniversal Local while at Emerson. In high school, he started an online newspaper primarily covering local sports in New York's Capital Region.

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