The Missouri Students Association budget for fiscal year 2012 will be presented for the final time during MSA’s next full Senate meeting before being approved.
This year the theme of the budget is carryover, Budget Committee Chairman Clark Maynard said.
MSA Vice President Emily Moon and the Budget Committee have decided to integrate all carryover of unused student fees into the budget for fiscal year 2012.
“Whether it’s budget or SFRC (Student Fee Review Committee), I am a fan of using student fees on the students who actually pay them,” Maynard said. “Emily and I were really big on spending fees that students pay on things that would directly affect them while they are here, not when they have graduated.”
According to the budget, $150,827 in carryover will be added to the $1,554,613 budget.
MSA Senate Speaker and former Budget Chairman Jake Sloan agrees with the use of carryover within the budget.
“I agree with using carried-over student fee money in this budget,” Sloan said. “We want to spend the money on students here now and not leave the money sitting in some mystery fund.”
MSA has many projects the budget will be able to fund through the budget this year, Maynard said during the second presentation of the budget Wednesday night.
“A $30,000 Homecoming concert has been added into the budget,” Maynard said. “The Homecoming concert is a big deal in the budget this year. Hopefully we will be able to bring a big name for the hundredth celebration.”
STRIPES will also see an increase in funding from MSA, Maynard said.
“A lot of students have been talking about how STRIPES waits have been taking really long,” he said. “We are putting a lot of money towards them this year to help them increase the number of cars as well as infrastructure to hopefully decrease wait times and get more drivers for STRIPES.”
According to the budget, STRIPES has been budgeted for $76,775 during the fiscal year 2012.
The “One Mizzou” campaign and The Jungle have also been given their own budget line, Maynard said.
“One Mizzou was added to the budget to keep that program going,” he said. “I think it is a good program, and we’d like to see it continue.”
During the first presentation of the budget, Moon said it is unclear whether The Jungle will stay in the budget after this fiscal year.
Maynard also said the increases in funding some areas will receive might not be an annual occurrence.
“This is a special year in terms of the carryover addition,” he said. “The areas that might have seen an increase in budget might not be able to get that every year.”