In order to give the Adventure Learning Program more time to downsize its 2019-'20 funding requests, the Student Services Finance Committee opted to table the organization’s budget approval hearing until Thursday.
ALPS, a program that coordinates team-building events for other student organizations, initially presented a budget that came in at $114,000 — $4,000 more than the $110,000 limit SSFC sets as a cap for student organization funding.
Last spring, SSFC conditionally raised its student salary funding constraint from $80,000 to $90,000. The change was mostly in response to salary concerns raised by ALPs, which is the fastest-growing student organization on campus. If SSFC elects to grant a student organization the extra $10,000, the total funding cap increases to $120,000.
The original purpose of a budget cap was to introduce a theoretical limit that would be used solely for student wages. As student wage levels increased over the years, the cap has become easier and easier to cross. In April, The Daily Cardinal’s Robyn Cawley reported that most GSSF salaries accounted for 55 percent of their overall budget last year, whereas for ALPs it accounted for 70 percent.
During this round of budget proposals, ALPs did not exceed the $80,000 limit for salary funding, which means that the $10,000 extension designed to help it wouldn't be applied.
During the budget discussion, SSFC members explored how flexible their policy was.
“We did amend the policy last year,” said SSFC Chair Jeremy Swanson. “It’s up to us and our discretion what we want that policy to be.”
This article was updated Oct. 24 at 3:00 P.M. to reflect changes specific to salary funding. A previous version of this story claimed the general funding cap rose from $80,000 to $110,000, and that ALPs had exceeded the $80,000 salary limit. The Daily Cardinal regrets the error.
