Student government budget plans to be announced

The student body president will be presenting her student government budget recommendations at the Student Senate meeting.

The meeting will take place at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the Arcola-Tuscola Room of the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union.

Kaylia Eskew said she planned on presenting her plans to the senate earlier but Wednesday’s meeting was canceled because the university was closed.

She said she did not cut anything in the student government budget, but did reorganize to the budget to be more easily understood for the senate and to increase the committee accountability.

Currently, the committee chairs take funds from a portion of the budget called “Other Contractional.”

In her revised budget plans, Eskew would give a set amount of money to each committee. She said she hopes this would not only encourage committees who have not done as much to use their money for events. It would also entice them to co-sponsor with other committees and committees outside of the senate.

In the recommended budget, Eskew combined the webmaster position and the public relations and marketing position into the social media marketer. Eskew said would cut a paid staff position.

Eskew said she hasn’t cut any money from the budget and hopes to keep it that way. She will be presenting her budget proposal to the apportionment board Thursday who will then review it and send it back to her to cut anymore if need be. They do not say what to specifically to cut, but that a certain amount needs to be cut. Eskew will again present her revised budget with the boards demands in mind Feb. 27.

If the board approves it, the senate must then approve the budget.

Eskew said she will just keep having to revise it if the senate or the board does not approve it.

Darnell Tyms, the student vice president for Academic Affair, will also announce changes to made involving registered student organizations including replacing the Student Organization Council with the RSO visitation initiative. Student Senate Speaker Brandon Goodman said this new initiative will require senators to keep in close contact with the four RSO’s they are assigned to. Goodman added it is just a revised version of SOC.

“He is modifying the structure,” Goodman said. “He is going to make four organization required; that (senators) visit them twice.”

Jarad Jarmon can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected]