The University of Vermont's Independent Voice Since 1883

The Vermont Cynic

The University of Vermont's Independent Voice Since 1883

The Vermont Cynic

The University of Vermont's Independent Voice Since 1883

The Vermont Cynic

SGA budget model still needs work

This year SGA updated their budget model for clubs.

The responsibility center of management model, or RCM, requires clubs to request only their basic financial needs and justify all requests.

This is done through optional budget hearings and a more detailed budget request system where clubs must thoroughly explain where funds would be spent.

Clubs are also required to fundraise a percentage of their request to curb surplus budget requests.

In the past, clubs recognized that they would only receive a portion of their overall request, so they would often ask for around three times what they needed. As a result SGA would only be able to allocate limited finances in the wrong places because of the excessive requests.

This led to a significant portion of club budgets left unspent.

For the 2014 fiscal year, clubs requested $3.24 million, yet SGA only had $1.2 million to allocate. This year clubs only requested $2.23 million with the new budget system with the same amount of money to allocate.

The new budget model is a huge improvement upon the old system in terms of overall effectiveness, however it has the ability to negatively impact clubs on the individual level.

While the new budget model encouraged clubs to request only the bare minimum, they still only received an average of 65 percent of their request.

If clubs only requested the minimum amount of money that they need to survive as a club, yet still only received an average of 65 percent, then their clubÕs functions can suffer greatly.

The RCM budget model is a great improvement from the past, but it still is far from perfect since clubs are still only receiving a portion of their needs.

Clubs justifying their budgets is also an improvement since club signers cannot ask for excessive funds without reason. However this also means that the finance committee decides what clubs need based upon their own judgment.

The Cynic appreciates that the SGA finance committee is taking the time and effort to redesign the budget model in an effort to help the clubs.

We are very excited about the changes and that clubs are receiving a greater percentage of their needs, however it is still not a perfect system and could use some work.

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SGA budget model still needs work