Budgets could be cut for over 65 clubs

By: Justin Sullivan

The College at Brockport Student Government will determine the fate of funding for 83 student-run clubs and organizations Friday, Feb. 17.

The deciding factor?

Ninety points earned through the student government’s club point system.

Under the club points system, a club is eligible to receive a budget if they meet the 90-point standard. Points can be earned by clubs in various ways including submitting meeting minutes, registering their club on myBrockport and designing approved club fliers.

Club officers can gain additional points by attending weekly BSG Senate meetings, participating in community service and collaborating with a club from a different activity council or club sports team.

However, club leaders were shocked to learn the final tally shows only 15 of the 83 registered clubs and organizations have achieved the 90 points.

According to the organization’s club manual, the point system is used as a form of accountability for student-run clubs.

“Club points will be used to help clubs track their standing with the Brockport Student Government and to help determine budgets for the following academic year,” the club manual states.

Emily Blackwell, President of English Club cites lack of transparency between BSG and the student-run clubs as the reason why less than 20 percent of clubs have achieved BSG’s required 90-point total.

“I feel like BSG should have given us more quarterly updates on how many club points we have,” Blackwell said. “Club points for English Club did not seem like they were recorded properly. We had to do some of the things from the fall over again in the spring like handing in the club manual.”

Even though English Club only received 79 club points, they can still receive a budget. However, the 15 clubs that reached or exceeded the 90-point standard can be guaranteed a budget. The fate of the remaining 68 club’s budgets will be up to a BSG vote.

“If English Club does not receive our budget, we will not be able to publish Jigsaw, Brockport’s Literary Magazine. This publication is important to not only the English department but important to the students as well,” Blackwell said. “It would be heartbreaking.”

While BSG ultimately controls the funds of its over 80 student clubs and organizations, it is the colleges over 8,000 students that fund the student government. The mandatory 100-dollar student activity fee funds all clubs and organizations, priority services as well as BSG programming events.

Priority services include the college’s three media groups: The Stylus, WBSU 89.1 the Point and Talon Television. These services are only partially funded by BSG and have the potential to earn commission. Unlike English Club and the other 82 BSG funded clubs, priority services are not at risk of not receiving a budget due to insufficient club points.

“The difference between them is that priority service organizations are allowed to keep their budget from year to year,” Tyler Brown, Business Manager for BSG said. “All other clubs have their budget washed out at the end of the year; it all goes back in one big pool.”

Despite frustration among club leaders, BSG Treasurer, Zach Loveless reassures that this year’s club point system is no different than last year.

“There are no changes to it as of right now,” Loveless said. “It will ultimately be up to the next BSG Treasurer on how the Club Points system is structured as some things may be outdated and need updating.”