Show me the money!

The ASCC Finance Committee finalized its proposal for the 2010-2011 budget on May 19, leaving some programs at Clark feeling a pinch in their wallets. The budget determines how much money will be allocated to each of Clark's 33 programs.

The proposed budget will be sent through numerous channels before reaching Clark's Board of Trustees to be reviewed for final approval on June 15.

Alyshia Saltman, ASCC Finance Director, said the projected budget for the 2010-2011 fiscal year is more than $1.5 million. The budget is determined by state funding and full-time equivalent, or FTE, student fees.

According to the state, an FTE is a student taking 15 credits.

Clark serves roughly 10,000 FTEs; however, the state only funds each community college for up to 6,950 FTEs. The rest of the funding comes from Services & Activities fees. Saltman said despite the added income created by high enrollment, the overload students' tuition is not matched by the state and the more students enroll, the thinner the budget is stretched.

Because S&A fees are paid at time of registration, students often view them as tuition. A student pays $7.20 for every credit up to 10 and then $2 for every credit up to 20. For example, a FTE would pay $82 of S&A fees to ASCC.

The ASCC distributes this revenue to programs and clubs. Programs such as Penguin Baseball, Student Nursing Association of Clark College and Clark Art Talks were originally denied their requests to be recognized and funded. The ASCC has since voted to fund baseball out of additional reserve funding but the decision still has several hurtles to jump through before it becomes official.

"With the ASCC's S&A fees budget remaining the same as last year, we cannot fund programs at a higher level without taking away monies from another program," Saltman said. "[The Committee] decided to raise fees slightly in order to cover the inflationary costs in future years."

If the Board of Trustees approves the fee increase, it will likely be implemented fall 2010 according to Saltman.

The Committee recommends the S&A fees be raised to $7.45 for every credit up to 10 and $2.40 for each credit after 10 and up to 18.

"The budget approved by Finance Committee now must go to ASCC Executive Council, then to the Interim VP of Student Affairs Ted Broussard, then onto Bob Knight before finally landing with the Board of Trustees," said Saltman.

Of the 33 programs on the budget, two asked for a decrease, 10 asked to remain the same and 21 asked for an increase.

Of the 21 programs asking for an increase, 10 were approved. Of the 10 programs asking to keep budgets the same, nine were approved and one program's budget – Service and Leadership in the Community – was denied and decreased by $3,005.

"SLIC has been consistently under budget for the last couple years by a rather significant amount of their budget," Saltman said.

SLIC declined to comment on the matter.

Saltman said some of the factors the committee considered when making these decisions were selecting programs that were "absolutely necessary" and serve the most students.

The program with the largest increase is Clark's Athletics Department, which according to Denise Huston, Interim Director of Athletics, receives 21.6 percent of ASCC's total funds.

"This is not even in the median," said Huston, comparing the percentage of the overall revenue other community colleges put towards Athletics. "We are in the lower range of percent dollars and we are using them for 10 different sports."

Clark's World Languages Abroad program, which sends students on international trips, asked for more than twice its current budget, but was denied.

"The program asked for an increase in budget as we were moving to a situation where he had two groups, rather than one traveling, thus the increase in cost," said Ray Korpi, program coordinator for World Languages Abroad.

Korpi said some additional out-of-pocket expenses may occur because of the current budget's proposal.

Model United Nations asked for nearly a $45,000 increase because, like World Languages Abroad, the program serves more students than it did two years ago. This too was denied.

Michael Ceriello, program coordinator and adviser for Model United Nations, said the requested budget was for air fares and hotel fees.

"I would like to see more continuity. Every year you get new people in the committee and they have new rules, new procedures and new priorities" Ceriello said. "I would love to have more money, but you gotta be realistic."

Saltman said there were few appeals because programmers and instructors understand. However, for some this offers little consolation.

"As an officer, I would like to see more of a balance between athletics and arts," Saltman said. "Who should I say should get more money when I have to take money from somebody else?"

Contact Sean Lindsay at slind9925@students.clark.edu and Joseph Matter at jmatt4130@students.clark.edu