On Wednesday, Oct. 11, the Undergraduate Student Government (USG) held its weekly meeting. The major topic on the schedule this week was budget allocations to student organizations and the announcement of two new clubs seeking Registered Student Organization (RSO) status.
First, the USG Ways and Means Committee motioned to vote on the allocation of $1,800 to MTU’s figure skating club. The money is to come out of the opportunity fund. It will be used to fund the figure skating club’s participation in the US Figure Skating Collegiate Competition for the Midwest, which will be hosted at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in February 2024. The motion was overwhelmingly passed. Cole Becker, a third-year representative on the Ways and Means Committee, said, “[The figure skating club] is a good organization, and they try to pay for their own things.”
The second USG vote was on the allocation of $1,050 to the Paintball Club. The money is to be used to replace a broken air compressor. The club’s current compressor was evaluated and found to have failed due to normal wear. As the club cannot function without a heavy-duty air compressor, this was considered a good use of the USG reserve fund. The motion passed with 24 votes in favor and one abstention.
Third, the Ways and Means Committee recommended the allocation of $1,950 from the reserve fund to the Alpine Ski Team. The ski team has grown significantly this year, and the club needs more ski suits for races. However, many of the potential new members have not yet confirmed their membership with the organization. As such, the allocation of funds was not voted on this week. The matter will be brought up again once accurate membership numbers are known.
The last matter relating to student organizations was the discussion of two new clubs that are seeking RSO status. The first is the Curling Club, which would take part in the sport both recreationally and compete in collegiate curling competitions. The second is the Slacklining Club, which is a fairly popular activity around campus when the weather permits.
