The Undergraduate Student Government (USG) held its weekly meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 14, in the MUB Alumni Lounge. It was their second meeting for the 2026 spring semester.
The meeting started with guest speaker Carlos Rodriguez, university Chief Financial Officer and Vice President for Administration, presenting information and updates regarding Michigan Tech funding, student employment, and service contracts for 2026. Restricted and unrestricted funding and their applications for Michigan Tech were discussed, as well as operating expenses for different sectors of the university. Like many similar institutions, Michigan Tech spends the largest portion of its operating dollars on personnel, accounting for 48%, or $161,960,072. Of Tech’s total funding, very little can be used unrestricted. Funds with restricted status cannot be spent any way they want; they must be spent on specific programs, for a specific purpose, or along other restricting guidelines. After explaining these restrictions, Rodriguez proceeded to talk about student employment.
Rodriguez stated that the IT budget has increased by around 22 percent from last year, or $73,000. However, as The Lode previously reported, the IT department capped the number of hours student employees were allowed to work to only ten at the start of last semester. According to Rodriguez, funds made available by vacant full-time positions were used to fund additional student hours. And as more full-time positions were filled, IT could no longer use these funds to support students, resulting in the policy change tighter budget. Additionally, auxiliary-based student employment, the largest source of student employment on campus, has been decreasing, as the recruitment of enough student employees has become difficult.
Dining and vending contracts were covered, with the ten-year dining contract with Chartwells and five-year vending contract with Be’s Refreshments expiring in 2033 and 2029 respectively. Rodriguez went in-depth on the Chartwells contract, sharing that for the first three years of the deal, Chartwells earns no profit from dining purchases. Additionally, Chartwells cannot change prices without presenting these changes to the administration and justifying them with data.
Rodriguez also discussed the construction of the new Student Wellness Center and its effect on resources, stating, “We knew for about a year that this donation was coming, so we started having conversations early enough to discuss how we were going to shift resources accordingly.” Resource planning for the wellness center will continue as breaking ground approaches.
Following Rodriguez’s presentation, USG voted on a Ways and Means Committee (WAM) request of $4,500 towards the climbing group, Ridge Roamers. This funding is for building a new vertical bouldering wall near the climbing area in the SDC. The WAM recommendation of $4,500 to the Ridge Roamers from the Reserve Fund was voted on and approved 21-0-5. The funding will allow for more accessibility for students, as the current 45-degree overhang bouldering wall presents too difficult a challenge for new enthusiasts. The Ridge Roamers plan on completing construction in February.
Cole Pierucki, Leadership and Service Coordinator, presented multiple on-campus jobs and leadership opportunities for this summer and the next year. This included applications for Orientation Team Leaders (OTLs), Success Coaches, and Summer Youth Program (SYP) positions. Pierucki stated that open positions for these roles can be found online at mtu.edu/success/now-hiring.
College of Engineering representative Willard Schaub resigned from his duties, with a motion passing for his departure. Appointment of Allie Browne as Fourth-year Representative was voted on and passed with a 22-0-4 vote.
There are three new WAM requests to be voted on next week. For more information and access to USG’s meeting minutes, visit their website at usg.mtu.edu
