For the past two years, the SGA budget has granted College Republicans more money than College Democrats.
In the 2016-2017 budget year, College Republicans requested $6,313 and received $3,250. Meanwhile, College Democrats requested $2,503 and received $2,100.
College Republicans were allocated $3,500 and College Democrats $2,200 for the 2018-2019 budget year during the SGA meeting March 8.
Funding is a crucial part of an organization’s ability to grow on campus and to expand their opportunities and achievements in a school year. SGA holds budget hearings to give organizations the opportunity to request money, but some clubs request more than others.
Every organization undergoes the same process in their budget hearings, but many people might not know what that entails.
SGA’s executive treasurer, junior Max Pivonka, explained that as SGA’s budget grows, the number of students in the university also grows, so they are usually not
able to grant the total amount requested.
“We’re very upfront during those budget hearings to let organizations know that we may not be able to grant the total request,” Pivonka said.
According to SGA, the process is a group decision in which members of student organizations requesting money are required to leave the room in order to avoid bias that could affect the financial committee’s decision.
But despite the difference in the amount of money requested, Katherine Evans, president of College Democrats, had little concern about the matter.
“Honestly, I know that some people would probably say, ‘Oh, that’s unfair; we’re both political organizations. We should have the same amount of money,” Evans said. “But I am not a member of College Republicans, and I don’t actually know what they need.”
The funds given to College Democrats go to promotional materials, club events, speakers and two conferences they aim to attend every year — the Alamance County Democratic Party Meeting and the Young Democrats of North Carolina Convention. Government organizations also hold debates and joint meetings with each other. These events also have a cost.
But College Republican’s budget is different because they normally attend a national event, contributing to additional fees. Carson Steelman, president of College Republicans, said the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) is their most expensive event.
“CPAC is a yearly conference in D.C., so we try to bring as many students as possible. The tickets are expensive; we have to stay at a hotel; we have to drive up there,” Steelman said. “As the budget stands right now, it’s mostly for CPAC.”
SGA understands this might look like there is a bias, but because of the process, all organizations get the adequate amount of money based on evaluations made in these financial committee decisions.
“We do recognize where people could feel that it wasn’t fair,” Pivonka said.
SGA says it carries out this process with fairness and hopes the Elon community understands the steps of the budget hearings and how they work to benefit all clubs and organizations.
“There is absolutely no bias, and the reason is that when we go into these budget hearings, everyone takes a step back,” Pivonka said.