The Student Government Association at the University of Massachusetts approved the S-1 FY22 budget at their Wednesday meeting. The S-1 is the SGA’s annual budget document which details the Student Activities Fee revenues and expenses. Student Union renovations was the largest cost, accounting for 28 percent of the budget. Agencies will receive 22 percent of the budget and Registered Student Organizations will receive 19 percent.
John Dacey, chair of the ways and means committee, expressed a concern about the budget. “Our revenues coming in are just shy of $6 million dollars, about $5.5 million, but our expenses are close to $8 million,” he said. “This is kind of why we’re looking toward a fee increase in the future, just because, the way that we’re operating right now is not sustainable.”
The SGA also approved a motion which would restructure the Student Activities Trust Fund financial advisor position to “kind of take over all things finance within the SGA,” said Sen. Ivory Moulton, a sponsor of the motion.
The motion also created a new position, funded by the SATF, to “support the SGA in all administrative, organizational, and logistical matters,” and “act as a support to and a collaborator with current and future University-funded SGA advisors in their duties.” The new role will not be open to undergraduate students.
“SGA has been getting to a point where we just need more support and we need to be on top of our stuff more,” Moulton said.
The SGA also passed a motion to recognize AJ, the dog featured on the Instagram account @goodboyoncampus, who “sadly passed away on April 12, 2021 after a beautiful 14 years of making everyone around him happy,” with the official title “The Goodest of Boys,” according to the motion. The SGA also plans to hang a photo of AJ in their office.
The SGA also appointed Bradley Marcosa to the role of attorney general, Colin Denizkurt to the role of secretary of veterans affairs, Audrey Gabriel to the role of secretary of sustainability, Jayda Coren as secretary of diversity, Shayan Raza as secretary of the registry and Noah White to chief of staff. Gabriel has not been officially sworn into the position yet because she is finishing her role as the chair of the social justice and empowerment committee.
Sophia Gardner can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @sophieegardnerr.
