Here's Looking At USAC

When a formula used to allocate undergraduate student government funds comes up with a range of $8 to $5,503, it is a clear indication that something in the process may have gone awry.

It was for this reason that USAC decided to delay - once again - the Student Organizations Operational Fund allocations.

Council decided that while a range of allocations is expected, it has never been this large and they did not feel comfortable with the proposed allocations.

In last year’s proposed allocations, the smallest was $65, and the largest was $1496, which was closer to the range USAC was expecting.

While it is important to note that no allocations have been approved yet and the budget review committee will be recalculating them before Thursday, the initial results proved very interesting.

One hundred sixty-one student groups applied for SOOF funding, which can be used for operational costs that groups incur, such as the cost of materials for recruitment and marketing.

While Environmental Bruins were slated to receive only $8 according to the calculations of the Budget Review (the lowest allocation), Queer Alliance racked up the dollars with the highest allocation at $5,503.

While there are by no means any accusations of corruption and inappropriate special treatment, it is true that those groups with the closest ties to USAC presented the strongest applications and were the most savvy in their quest for funding; SOOF applications can be complicated, and therefore the groups with the most experience with this funding process or with affiliates on council are usually the more successful.

For example, recommended for sizable allocations were Bruin Democrats ($3,434), of which USAC President Gabe Rose was leader last year, and Kappa Delta Sorority ($2,279), of which General Representative Christina Colosimo is a member.

The budget review committee, headed by Chair Sean Chibnik, will present the new results on Thursday. Their new formula will likely include a cap, or maximum allocation.

In total, there were more than $1.7 million requested, and the total amount allocated will be around $130,000.