In an attempt to expedite and simplify fund allocation for student organizations, Student Government plans to create one committee to oversee two accounts containing student fees — the Programming, Support, and Initiatives Fund and the Organization Relief Fund.
“We’re not changing or increasing fees,” said SG Vice President Dani Borel. “We’re just taking the fees that students already pay and putting them into one entity to disperse the funds.”
PSIF is the funding source for all on-campus student organization events and needs, like Groovin’ on the Grounds, LSU’s Best Dance Crew and equipment.
The amount of money in the PSIF account continues to change as students pay their fees, but as of Jan. 13, the available balance in the PSIF Sports Club FY ’11 account was a little more than $6,000. The available balance in the PSIF Late Night FY ’11 account was a little less than $30,300, and the available balance in the PSIF Org Support FY ’11 account was about $16,000.
The ORF account, which is under Associate Vice Chancellor and Dean of Students K.C. White, is also paid for by student fees. The ORF reimburses students for off-campus events such as conferences and competitions held at other universities.
“They both have the same foundation,” said SG President J Hudson. “It’s helping fund students, whether it’s on campus or off campus.”
Hudson plans to set the change in motion by first having the Senate endorse a bill to create one committee. Hudson will then send out a memo that must be signed by White, Vice Chancellor for Student Life and Enrollment Services Kurt Keppler, Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Jack Hamilton, and Chancellor Michael Martin.
If Hudson attains the necessary signatures, the bill will go to the LSU System Board of Supervisors.
However, if Hudson fails to procure the signatures, the Senate must write the bill and add it to the spring student election docket. Students will then vote on the merging of funds and, if passed, the bill will go to the Board of Supervisors.
For both routes, the Board of Supervisors must give final approval.
“Either way it’ll be by student voice, whether they vote on it, or if us, their representative voices, vote on it,” said Cody Wells, SG Senate Finance Committee chair.
Wells also said he hopes to change Senate financing because money is festering in multiple accounts because of provisions that allow it to be extracted only for certain uses.
“We’re trying to loosen stipulations on spending accounts because it’s tying up a lot of money that belongs to students,” Wells said. “It’s ridiculous how much money we have that we can’t spend.”
The initiatives fund, which originally funded service-learning programs, could not continue to fund service-learning because the fund details that money can only be used for new initiatives.
The surplus fund contains unused money from all three SG branches, but sums of money less than $5,000 cannot be withdrawn. The money taken out of the account also must be for a one-time expenditure, like money taken from the initiatives fund.
 
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Contact Andrea Gallo at [email protected]