How ASG spends student fee
Each year Associated Student Government receives around $1.2 million from the student activity fee. Here is how the funds were divvied up this semester:
Luke Garrett / News Editor / The USD Vista
Senior Tyler Arden began asking for greater transparency within Associated Student Government (ASG) in September. Arden then attended numerous ASG Senate meetings and each time requested that the student government make their budget public in an act of good faith and transparency.
In response to Arden’s request, senator Rhonda Papp claimed students wouldn’t understand the budget and Speaker of the Senate Carolina Moreno Armenta questioned why Arden wanted to see the budget in the first place. He, in turn, restated his belief that those who pay for the budget should have the right to see it — a right not granted by ASG.
In the weeks following, Finance Committee voted to make the budget public, but as of Dec. 3, no ASG budget has been made available to students.
However, the ASG budget was leaked to The USD Vista. The budget obtained by The USD Vista was later confirmed as accurate, according to ASG Finance Chair George Saunderson. A review of Fall allocations and senate spending:
ASG oversees around $1.2 million per year, all of which is paid for by undergraduate students — $242 each per year, according to Saunderson. At the start of each semester, this lump sum is then divvied up by the Finance Committee between the three main parties of ASG: Torero Program Board (TPB), Centers, and ASG Executives (as seen in Figure 1). After senate approval, each party receives their allocations.
This fall, $915,659 was allocated between the three ASG parties. ASG Executives received the majority of funds with over 50% of the total allocations. TPB followed with close to a third of the total allocations. Fifteen percent was given to the Centers — which includes organizations such as the Black Student Resource Center, Veteran’s Center, and Outdoor Adventures, among others.
Each party then divides their allocations into various position holders. The USD Vista also obtained how ASG Executive has allocated their $491,770 (as seen in Figure 2).
The close to half a million dollars allocated to the ASG Executives was dispersed across a number of position-holders as well as recurring expenditures. ASG President Marion Chavarria Rivera, for example, oversaw $80,000 in allocation this fall and ASG Senate controlled $21,000. The money allotted to each position-holder is approved by ASG Senate.
These funds consist of both discretionary and request-based funding. Meaning a portion of the money must be used toward spending previously requested for and approved, and the rest can be spent based on the position-holders discretion.
Only the ASG Senate spending was made available to The USD Vista (as seen in Figure 3). This fall, ASG Senate spent $14,816 of the $21,000 allocated to the governing body. The majority of the senate’s funds went toward the USD Food Pantry and Torero Closet, which provides free food and school supplies, among other items, to students in need.
The Senate’s spending indicates that not all of the money allocated is spent. Sauderson noted that only half of the money allocated to ASG this fall will be spent — meaning only $400,000 to $500,000 will be spent this semester of the $915,659 allocated. The excess funds will carry onto next semester.
ASG Senate will vote to confirm next semester’s allocations on Thursday, Dec. 12 in Solomon Hall. The meeting is open to the public and attendees will be able to view all that is set to be allocated in the Spring semester.