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Chair Matt Manes introduces SSFC

The student government will begin to overhaul the student organization funding process Monday after recognizing flaws in the current funding system.

Student Services Finance Committee Chair Matthew Manes will kick off the reformation process by proposing a comprehensive set of guidelines in which the entire student body can take part in deciding how student organizations should receive funding.

Manes said while students disagree about how the current system should be reformed, almost everyone agrees that changes need to be made so necessary student services are more widely available.

Step one in Manes’ three-point plan is to “plug the holes” of the current system by bringing back beneficial services that no longer exist, introducing new services and safeguarding current services so organizations do not have to worry about receiving funding.

Some examples of what Manes considers important campus services include tutoring, legal counseling, sexual assault, leadership training and political involvement services.

To ensure these services are widely available, Manes will propose a new funding stream in addition to the General Student Services Fund, which finances student organizations with segregated fees. The proposed Campus Services Fund would not be subject to viewpoint neutrality, but rather would guarantee necessary services as voted upon by the student body.

Manes said despite the need for reform, the current system does have its benefits, which are exemplified by the fact the General Student Services Fund has decreased over the past two years, saving students money.

Last year’s SSFC Chair Brandon Williams, the current chair of ASM, said the student organization funding process has had noticeable flaws for awhile, and conversations about its reform had already begun last year.

Manes and Williams agree the funding process is a balancing act in which SSFC strives to keep segregated fees low while simultaneously providing students with beneficial services.

“We need to make the system less bureaucratic and easier for groups, but we also need to maintain our fiscal responsibility,” Manes said.

Although SSFC has a strict timeline to work with and budget-hearing season just around the corner, Manes hopes to have a new system in place for next year.

“We have the power to do something, we need to exercise it,” Manes said. “This gives purpose and meaning to the work we do. It will set a standard for many years to come.”