Student Government’s Getting Thrifty

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June 11, 2008

“Budget cuts” don’t mean much to most students until you translate the words into their language: “no free food.”

“[Clubs have] a lot of barbecues and free-food events that cost a lot of money,” says David Sharvit, a junior majoring in film studies.

Sharvit is the incoming president of FAU Films, one of many clubs getting less money from Student Government this year – about a third less than last year. After years of borrowing equipment from Owl TV that he says is outdated and not designed for film production, the group decided to buy their first camera. They’re excited about it, but there’s a downside: buying a new camera doesn’t leave much in their budget for food at meetings.

“We’ve learned we [also] have to provide food as an incentive,” Sharvit says. “It’s hard to get people motivated when you can’t pay them.” He noted that cast members who help shoot and produce the group’s movies often work hours on end but sometimes just don’t show up.

The film club is one of many organizations with shrinking resources, and while nobody is exactly starving, food isn’t the only problem. It’s more like a side effect.

Because the university and the state are facing budget cuts, SG decided to err on the frugal side – even though its leaders expect just over 1 percent less student money this year. They anticipated $5.93 million in student A&S fees last year; this year, they’re making do with $5.85 million.

“Being more cautious is better,” says SG Adviser Rivka Felsher.

Cautious doesn’t quite describe what SG has done with the budget for Boca clubs, though: Instead of cutting funding, they’ve raised it from $200,000 to $250,000 this year. Felsher says this move helps clubs who “aren’t good at spending money.”

“Clubs spend money too fast … [this way] they can approach COSO if they need more, rather than going through the complicated request process with the House of Representatives,” she adds. The Council of Student Organizations (COSO), funded through the same A&S fees that SG controls, splits funding among the various clubs around the campuses.

However, that added money won’t help campus programs that aren’t classified as clubs. SG is taking a harder look at non-club groups who might find money elsewhere.

“[Some] are not necessarily programs SG could and should have oversight of,” Felsher says. “Some can get other sources of funding, like ticket sales or grants.”

That attitude has led SG leaders to cut funding for both the Ritter and the Schmidt Center galleries altogether. Last year, they got $7,500. This year, they get nothing.

“That’s rough,” says SG Vice President Ed Fulton, adding that not many students are going to pay for art shows. “[But] in any kind of budget process someone is gonna feel shafted.”

University Galleries Director Rod Faulds, who has worked at FAU for 11 years, understands that some cuts are necessary, but feels the galleries deserve something in exchange for raising FAU’s profile. He proudly displays a New Times “Best Art Gallery of 2005” award in his office for the Schmidt Center Gallery and keeps envelopes full of other public recognitions.

While the galleries do receive some local and state money through grants and private donations, the exhibitions are expensive – bringing in outside artists, transportingtheir works, promoting them and providing food for the events adds up quickly.

“The southXeast exhibition was around $25,000, and Delicatessen [last year] was $35,000,” Faulds says with a helpless smile. “I can’t yell and scream, [but] it’s disappointing.”

Faulds is worried the cutback in A&S fees will mean he’ll have to curb student employment this year also, meaning fewer students will get opportunities to acquire professional museum experience.

Despite these setbacks, Faulds is looking for shortcuts to keep his galleries running smoothly.

After the southXeast exhibition, Faulds rented a truck and personally drove the art pieces back to their out-of-state artists – a three-day trip.

“A driver gave us a bid of about $5,000 to do it,” Faulds says. “So I saved [about $3,500] doing it myself.”

Source: Boca COSO Allocation Budget ’07 – ’08 and Proposed COSO Allocation Budget ’08 – ’09

Each year, clubs propose to SG how much funding they think they deserve. Most of the time, they don’t receive how much they expect. Here are the top five gainers and losers this year.