AU students are forming a committee to evaluate the distribution of student activity fee funds and suggest changes to the University administration, after years of leftover funds.
“Changes need to be made,” committee co-chairman and former SG Comptroller Eric Reath said. “We are getting major student leaders to the table to take a closer look at how student activity funds are spent, and we will be making recommendations to the University for future improvements.”
The committee will have representatives from the Student Government, Student Media Board, the AU Club Council and Graduate Leadership Council, according to an outline of the committee’s goals written by its co-chairmen. These four organizations are all funded by student activity fee funds. The Eagle’s editor-in-chief, Zach Cohen, will also serve on the committee.
The organizations are responsible for allocating funds to about 240 student organizations, according to the co-chairmen.
The committee’s purpose will be to research the financial data of the four organizations and make recommendations to the University on raising the fee or changing the allocation structure, Douglas Bell, a senior in the School of Communication and co-chairman of the committee, said in an email.
The committee will be advised by Adell Crowe, Student Activities’ assistant director for student media, according to the document.
Student Activity’s current group allocations
The Graduate Student Activity Fee funds are split 86 percent to the Graduate Leadership Council and 14 percent to the AU Club Council, The Eagle previously reported.
Additionally, the committee intends to analyze how the Student Media Board’s funding could be adjusted to account for the possible addition of The Eagle to the Board, Reath said.
However, the student activity fee cannot change for the next two years. In order to change the fee charged to each student, it must be voted on by students and be included in the University’s biennial budget proposal, according to Reath.
tdalcourt@theeagleonline.com
