Last week, Isobel Bowker, the Undergraduate Student Government (USG) Treasurer and Ways and Means (WaM) Committee Chair, presented to Registered Student Organization (RSO) officers regarding the annual budget hearings coming up this spring. Whether you are a current officer or interested in creating a new organization next year, here is all the important information you need to know in order to gain funding for your RSO next year.
A budget hearing gives your RSO the opportunity to present yourself to USG and introduce your proposed budget for the next school year. The USG budget for your RSO comes from the Student Activity Fee (SAF) you pay with your tuition. USG can then distribute these funds to different RSOs on campus, depending on the needs of that organization. When you present your budget at your hearing, you will explain how your RSO uses these funds throughout the year and request more money if needed.
You must complete some very important steps before your budget hearing. First, one of your officers must have attended the mandatory information session last week. Then, your officers must plan what date and time you will present your proposed budget to USG and complete the online questionnaire. The online questionnaire gives your RSO the chance to talk about your RSO prior to the budget hearing to the WaM, who recommends budget recommendations to the rest of USG. Both of these forms are due on Jan. 26 at 11:59 p.m. Budget hearings will be held between Feb. 15-18 and Mar. 7-9, depending on the time your RSO signs up for. Up until this time, you must revise your budget (or write one if you are creating a new RSO) and the officers planning on going should familiarize themselves with this proposed budget. Lastly, you will receive an email with your initial allocation recommendation following the hearing.
This process can be overwhelming at first, but there are several ways to ensure success when preparing for your hearing. USG recommends that you update your Involvement Link information to include officer positions, contact information, and the member roster. Make sure all of your officers have completed any required training, such as the ones through Canvas. Before your hearing, it helps to spend as much of your budget as possible. Bowker states, “the best way to get an increased budget the next year is to spend all of your budget the previous year.”
Bring more than one officer if you are able, and be ready to answer any questions regarding specific line items on your budget. “Keep those line items general,” says Bowker, in case of any unforeseen changes. The notes on the right-hand side allow you to add specific information about that line item, such as event information. Be very familiar with what’s on your budget, especially with what you need more funding for.
More information can be found on the “Student Leadership and Involvement News Blog” on Michigan Tech’s website, or by emailing Isobel Bowker at usg-treasurer@mtu.edu.
