The Undergraduate Student Government (USG) held their weekly meeting on Wednesday, May 26, at the MUB Alumni Lounge. The USG covered a range of topics around campus issues, financial changes, and elected new officials to the board.
Treasurer David Reeves brought to attention ”the budget hearings-sized elephant in the room,” revealing a deficit from expected Registered Student Organization (RSO) funding for the 2026 financial year. An original estimate of funding was $999,427.75 but contracted to $947,254.50, a $52,173 difference. This continued a downward trend from fiscal year 2025, with a deficit in estimated funding of $48,375. This decrease in funding was attributed to declining undergraduate enrollment of 3 percent and 12 percent for graduate enrollment. “Unfortunately, even though many RSOs saw an increase in membership and need, the Student Activity Fee is only based on actual student enrollment, which means we can’t allocate more money than comes in from students,” said Reeves. Overall, 162 out of 196 RSOs received decreased allocations as compared to the year before.
Additionally, USG Vice President Conner Skalitzky introduced an upcoming local business discount project for students. The initiative, slated to be named “Blizzard’s Bargains,” was inspired by NMU’s “Wildcat Wallet” and would aim to promote local services, discounts, and additional resources for Tech students. A list of many local businesses already offering such services is being assessed to be included in the program. He also suggested that businesses would be able to show a sticker indicating participation in the program, and would be promoted online and during O-Week. “As students ourselves, we’re super excited to be able to create a hub where all students can go to see what’s offered to them. Hopefully we can even convince local businesses to introduce some new discounts, since we’re handling the promotion and advertising for them. The finished product should have a pretty big campus impact,” said Skalitzky.
Reeves also gave an update from the Special Budgetary Group (SBG) Review Committee regarding the status of the Mont Ripley Ski Patrol. On Friday, Feb. 20, the Ski Patrol’s appeal to the Dean of Students, Kellie Raffaelli, for SBG status was officially denied. While explaining the decision, Reeves cited the fact that while there is a membership fee for their parent organization, the National Ski Patrol, it is not required for the mission of the Ripley patrol. Additionally, Reeves clarified that the Ripley Ski Patrol’s lift tickets were not funded by the SAF, which USG has purview over, but rather by the Experience Tech Fee.
Later on, funding for new RSO initiatives was discussed. The Alpine Ski Team qualified for nationals for the first time in 20 years and requested $2,000 for their lodging and additional travel expenses. The vote passed 21-0-3. The Muslim Student Association requested $420 to replace a broken freezer for halal food storage, and also requested $350 for a yearly Iftar during Ramadan for transportation to The Dee and for the venue reservation. The motions passed 22-0-2 and 21-0-3, respectively. Finally, the Minecraft Club requested $494, for new equipment, including a conferencing microphone, uninterruptible power supply for the club server, club owned account, and two-month server rank to play private games. The motion passed 21-0-3.
It was discussed the addition of a stipend to the new position of Break Bus Coordinator. As of right now, the only positions to have a stipend are E-board and WAM. The idea of opening the dorms a day earlier during Spring Break was additionally discussed. This would allow for students to arrive on Saturday, 6 p.m. the weekend before classes start again instead of requiring students to arrive on Sunday.
Guest speaker Jodie Filpus-Paakola, Title IX Coordinator, gave a presentation on the basis of the program and how Michigan Tech specifically has decided to respond to changes in laws since 2024. She explained how new laws specifically targeted LGBTQ+ students and that the University decided to uphold 2024 guidelines for Title IX. Filpus-Paakola also mentioned an upcoming survey to gauge the social climate of MTU, as well as Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
Finally, two new members, Andrew Palmer and Tanner Beavon, were questioned by the committee and subsequently elected to the positions of College of Engineering (COE) Representative for USG.
The next USG meeting will be held on March 11 at 7 p.m. in MUB Alumni Lounge where they will be announcing the results of the recent E-board and At-Large elections. To access USG’s meeting minutes, visit their website at usg.mtu.edu.
