EDITORIAL: Campus programming in need of proposed fund increase
The Student Government Organization has been working for months, crafting a resolution to ask the Board of Trustees to increase the Campus Programming Fund.
The resolution, passed last month in the student Senate and House, was signed by SGA President Marie Reimers and is now being prepared to be introduced to the Board of Trustees today at the student liaison meeting.
SGA is requesting that the fund be increased to $1.8 million to be on par with what it should be, as the fund hasn’t been adjusted for inflation since its creation in 2001. The fund has lost $348,958.51 in buying power over the years and the resolution seeks long overdue change.
While we are sure the board will no doubt question where the money for the increase will come from, seeing as the university is operating at a deficit and student enrollment is down, the merits for the increase are genuine and the benefits for backing CPF work toward a greater good for the university.
The fund is the financial backbone of all the offices that help make attending CMU a worthwhile experience.
CPF funds not only SGA, but also the Office of Student Life, the Mary Ellen Brandell Volunteer Center, Program Board, Greek life and registered student organizations.
Student retention has always been a concern to the university and nothing makes students want to stay more than a fulfilling college experience. The offices funded with CPF dollars have been a tool in student retention for many years, but they have had to operate with less and less as the years passed by.
With this new boost, hopefully CPF will be able to fulfill this role yet again.
The Program Board has a long history of bringing in various big-name performers to the university, attracting thousands of current students to the shows and becoming a selling point for future Chippewas.
With the office’s limited and shrinking budget, it can only afford to bring in a limited number of performers – and an undersized budget doesn't help.
CPF reform has been a volatile subject in SGA for the past few months, with debate and inquiry raging back and forth between members of student government, both vocalizing their concerns.
The debate within the student body alone should be enough to show how passionate the student body is when it comes to how the university spends tuition dollars.
If the university wants to keep tuition money coming in and student filling the classrooms, passing the CPF resolution when it’s time to vote is a shove in the right direction.
