The Undergraduate Student Government (USG) held their weekly meeting on Wednesday, Mar. 18, in the MUB Alumni Lounge. USG addressed two Ways and Means (WAM) allocations, one strike appeal, and three allocation appeals at the meeting. Allocations are requests from Registered Student Organizations (RSOs) for funding. Strike appeals are requests to reconsider an item that was removed from the budget, asking for it to be restored. Allocation appeals are requests for additional funding beyond what was originally allocated.
The Men’s Volleyball Club requested $3,300 for new uniforms and volleyballs. Their current uniforms are five years old, and don’t meet regulations. The WAM committee recommended a $2,650 allocation to fund new uniforms, but not new volleyballs. The motion to allocate $2,650 for new uniforms passed with a vote of 28-0-1.
The Snowmobile Club requested $19,590 for a new trailer and equipment to be shared among the club of around 20 members. The club plans to purchase everything new, and use it for approximately 15 years. The WAM committee determined that funding the full amount now is not feasible due to the amount left in the Reserve Fund. USG motioned to allocate $0, which passed with a vote of 24-0-5. USG recommended that the Snowmobile Club request the funding again in a future fiscal year.
SoundGirls, an RSO formed to advance minorities’ opportunities in the audio field, appealed the strike of line item 5.1, which is the SoundGirls’ Transducer Theory class scholarship funding. Transducer Theory is a required class for all Audio Technology and Sound Design majors that requires students to spend between $400 and $3,000 out-of-pocket on course supplies. For the past three years, SoundGirls has offered a scholarship for students in their organization to help alleviate the financial burden of the class. After the appeal, there was no motion to amend the budget. USG approved the original budget for the fiscal year 2027 with a vote of 25-0-5. SoundGirls will work with the USG treasurer to redefine the terms of this line item, as they plan to request the funding again.
The Log Rolling Club appealed their $800 allocation. They requested $1,000, in anticipation of an increase in the SDC pool’s rental rate. USG approved the full amount of $1,000, with a vote of 22-5-3.
The Men’s Club Hockey Team appealed their $5,970 allocation, requesting $12,000. Owen Resch, President of the Men’s Club Hockey Team, clarified his statement to The Lode, saying, “Over the last few years, our organization’s allocation from USG has stayed almost the same, while our campus impact and operating costs have significantly increased. One example is ice cost increasing by over $6,000 in the last three years. This increase has been put directly on our members to pay. A large increase in our allocation would help lower the financial burden put on our members and make it more affordable to participate.” USG voted to increase the Men’s Club Hockey Team’s allocation from $5,970 to $7,000, which passed with a vote of 18-1-11.
The Muslim Students Association (MSA) appealed their $5,278 allocation, requesting $7,000. MSA cited that their community impact is greater than their membership numbers reflect. This was met with significant opposition from Nathan Lithgow, a USG At-Large Representative, who said that he trusted the WAM allocation. Lithgow said that MSA’s allocation was in line with similar organizations, and said that around half of MSA’s attendees were non-students. USG motioned to amend MSA’s allocation from $5,278 to $6,000, which passed. USG continued to discuss the matter, and then motioned to amend the amended allocation from $6,000 to $7,000. This motion failed, and was followed by another motion to amend the amendment from $6,000 to $6,500, which passed.
The next USG meeting will be held on Wednesday, Mar. 25, at 7 p.m. in the MUB Alumni Lounge. To access USG’s meeting minutes, visit their website at usg.mtu.edu.
