The Student Government Association could prohibit organizations from charging admission fees for events after Executive Treasurer Abby Semple proposed the idea at the first Financial Advisory Board meeting this year. 

“I feel very strongly that because you are a student paying activity fees, that is your fee to participate in things. It makes me queasy when there are student orgs that then charge admission fees, ticket fees, or admittance costs to activities that are being put on with SGA funding,” Semple said.

Semple proposed another addition to the SGA Treasury Handbook that would require SGA to issue reimbursements in the form of direct deposit. These reimbursements are used to pay back students if they spend any of their own money for organization purchases. This process used to be done through paper checks.

Semple said this would save money, paper, and time. These changes have yet to be approved by the FAB.

SGA also changed their policy so that all payment requests and appeals will now be submitted on EmConnect. They are moving away from paper copies to make things more efficient. 

SGA Advisor and Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs Sharon Duffy said the SGA bylaws, constitution, and treasury handbook are designed for the student’s good.

“All of this is to avoid people spending money out of their pockets,” she said. “Every single piece of this is designed to educate so that people do not have to spend money out of their pockets.”

Semple also spent time explaining the appeal process and annual budget request to newly elected Class of 2021 Vice President Joseph Johnson.  

The ABR is the process of all SGA-funded organizations submitting their budget for FAB’s approval. An appeal occurs when an organization needs assistance for something they didn’t budget for, such as an equipment failure, Duffy said.