By Rebecca Baird, general assignment reporter

 Couches in Casado Campus Center, barbecue for walkout and Homecoming activities -- these are just some of the many events that SGA funds during the school year. With a budget funded entirely by student fees, all branches of student government are given the task of providing events and programs that impact the student life at Friends University.

The process begins with the Administration and Finance Department helping the Executive Council project how many students will be on campus the following semester and estimate how much money might be collected in student fees. Once the new semester begins, the council knows exactly how much money they will receive. The council always budgets conservatively so they doesn't end up needing more money than what actually comes in.

The budget for the fall 2009 semester is $67,900, a 3 percent decrease from the $70,000 given for the spring 2009 semester.

For the spring 2009 semester, student fees were $5 per credit hour or a $75 flat fee with the 12-17.5 credit hour tuition package.

The Executive Council then develops a budget request for the following semester. Falcon Student Organizations (FSO) collects budget requests from each club and organization that wants to receive funding. Falcon Activities and Campus Events (FACE) officers plan preliminary activities for the upcoming semester and use it as the basis for its budget requests. Senate also develops its own budget requests.

All three branches of student government -- FACE, FSO and Senate -- receive their own working capital, along with Executive Council, which is the overseeing body.

With representation from each branch, the Executive Council meets to review all requests and, based on the projected amount of funds that will be available the following semester, determines the level of funding for each.

“Since this is all student fees, we ask what will benefit students most,” Executive President Roman Rodriguez said of how funding decisions are made.

This academic year, funding was changed from annual to semi-annual. SGA had been putting money that wasn’t spent into a savings account, but members didn’t think that students were seeing the full benefits of having their money spent on activities and improvements while they were attending.

Although there are no hard numbers yet, Rodriguez feels confident that the new system works well for the campus.

“Especially with the new budget we are better using money, which really benefits students as a whole,” he said.

Carole Obermeyer, vice president of student affairs and adviser for the Executive Council, agrees.

“The Executive Council has really developed a good process that really holds them accountable,” said Obermeyer. “The tracking of spending for all branches is much more sophisticated.”

SGA is mindful that, as the student body changes, what they choose to spend money on may need to change along with it.

“Cultures can change easily; what worked three to five years ago may not work right now,” said Obermeyer.

The single biggest expense is the Talisman yearbook, which costs between $9,000-10,000. SGA subsidizes this expense so students can enjoy the yearbook without any upfront cost.

Clubs and organizations are another big money requester and get their funds through FSO. Much of their funds are spent on things such as homecoming, special programs, service projects and general meeting expenses. They can also request more money after the beginning of the semester if needed.

There are currently about 15 active student groups on campus, all of which are members of FSO as well. The funding criteria are:

• The organization has to be certified by the University.

• The organization has to send a representative to FSO meetings.

• The organization has to fill out a budget request form and turn it by deadline.

Before going on to the budget meeting, the request sheets are reviewed by the president of FSO and the executive business manager.

“We made sure they weren’t asking for money we didn’t feel represented the University as a whole,” said Executive Business Manager Amanda Hands.

Requests for money, reimbursement for purchases made by SGA and other financial matters go through Hands. She deals with all branches except FACE, which has its own director of finance. She also puts together the budgets for each semester.

“The clubs pretty well understand (how the system works) and are pretty good at sticking to the guidelines,” she said.

Senate funds legislative activities, including the “Amp” newsletter, which keeps students informed about how SGA works for them and the campus.

All together, student government has funded more than 100 hours of student activities during the past school year. These activities range from walkout day events to financial workshops and 75 free tickets to the Friends-Northwestern Oklahoma State University football game that the university hosted last year during the first round of the NAIA Football Championship.

Funding also includes campus improvements such as furniture for Casado and the new recycling bins that will arrive on campus later this month.

There has been some criticism in the past regarding SGA spending. Most of it has come from people who did not feel as though the money was being used well, or did not feel that the quality of the events went up along with the student fees.

Obermeyer, the Executive Council adviser, thinks FACE does a good job of diversifying its programming.

“Not everyone is going to like every activity, but everyone should be able to find something meaningful to them,” she said.

Rodriguez encourages students to get involved in campus so they can see their money in use. He thinks some students may be unaware of just how much SGA sponsors on campus because it doesn’t plaster its name on everything it funds.

“Don’t sit and watch other people use your student fees,” he said.