To the editor,
I wanted to provide additional insight and opinion on the topic of Special Budget Groups (SBG) per October 7th’s article on the USG meeting, seeing as we are re-hearing each SBG and allowing RSOs to apply to become SBGs this Spring. While SBGs do receive permission to spend Student Activity Fee funds on anything within their organization’s purview that benefits undergraduate students, it does not necessarily entail that the organizations will receive more funding.This was brought up in last week’s USG General Body meeting as a slight misunderstanding of the nature of an SBG. While the Huskies Pep Band (like any large organization on campus) has a defined need for a large amount of funding, there is only so much money that can go around due to the number of students at Michigan Tech. It isn’t reasonable or possible without an increase in students or the amount of the Student Activity Fee to increase the pool of funding for either RSOs or SBGs. The intention of designating an organization as a Special Budget Group is due to their inherent “special” nature and requirements to run their organization without major impact. Sound and Lighting Services, a current SBG, has a need to pay student employees and to maintain a constant and abundant stream of money in and out of the organization. In addition, SLS also maintains other sources of funding outside of the Student Activity Fee that helps maintain their financial balance to the nature of their organization. However, SLS does not receive any more funding or any less scrutiny from the Undergraduate Student Government due to their status, and goes through the same procedures for Opportunity and Reserve Fund requests as does any open organization.
I hope that USG can disseminate the nature of SBGs and why they are what they are as we continue into the Spring 2026 semester with a strong roster of qualified organizations looking to apply and reapply. I commend you and all of the staff at the Lode for properly representing the Student Assembly and doing your due diligence to obtain more information, and appreciate your time and attention.
By David Reeves, USG Treasurer
