Michigan Technological University’s Undergraduate Student Government (USG) recently proposed constitutional amendments aimed at streamlining the way registered student organizations (RSO’s) receive funding and easing the workload of the Treasurer. The amendment process involves three steps: internal approval within USG, a student body vote, and, finally, review by the Board of Trustees. With the first two steps complete, the USG is waiting on the Board of Trustees.
The biggest change restructures the Ways and Means Committee, USG’s financial arm, by adding two student positions and one Graduate Student Government (GSG) representative. These members will hold the same voting power as existing committee members. “We want to give students more input,” USG Treasurer, David Reeves said. “We’ve heard complaints and discussions in the past about funding allocations, and this gives students a better opportunity to be included in that process.”
In addition to committee changes, the treasurer role will be divided into two parts. The treasurer will continue managing USG’s budget, overseeing the finance committee, and conducting audits. A new finance manager position will handle day-to-day club funding, including processing requests, writing checks and completing audits. The shift comes as Michigan Tech’s student organization count has grown significantly in recent years. While the USG constitution was originally designed to support about 30 groups, there are now around 240 RSO’s. Each week, the committee processes between 50-60 purchase requests. “Before these amendments, about 90 percent of my time was spent reviewing purchase requests and writing checks,” Reeves said. “Splitting up responsibilities will free me to work on projects that improve communication with students, like explaining the history and purpose of the student activity fee.”
For RSO’s, the amendments are expected to shorten turnaround times for funding requests and reduce backlogs. The USG executive board also hopes the changes will improve transparency and trust between organizations and the student government. Beyond finances, USG is also moving committee structures and meeting procedures into internal documents, allowing for more flexibility without requiring a campus-wide vote on operational changes. “Our goal is to make funding as straightforward as possible,” Reeves said. “It’s not meant to be a game that needs to be navigated around. It’s student money, and it needs to be given back to the students.”
In the meantime, Reeves continues to shoulder the financial responsibilities of USG. Once the proposal makes it to the Board of Trustees, the timeline for implementation will be more clear. If it passes, USG is prepared to hit the ground running. Specifics on the amendments and USG’s plan can be found on the USG website under the 2025 Constitution Amendments tab.
