Damon Brown, adviser for the Student Budget Allocation Committee, led the first informational meeting for RSOs at noon Tuesday in the Lake Michigan Room in the Bovee University Center.

The meeting was designed to educate students about the SBAC funding process.

“Most organizations do not know there is money out there for them,” Brown said. “There are some pretty good ideas that students want to bring to campus but they do not know the funding process. We try to get the info out as best as we can and hopefully students make themselves aware of how they can tap into those resources.”

The budget at Central Michigan University for Registered Student Organizations consists of about $90,000, Brown said.

SBAC is a student-run subcommittee of the Student Government Association, and provides necessary funding for RSOs. RSOs must first submit an application and request form to receive funding for conferences and projects.

At the meeting Brown used a power-point presentation to provide information on the general policies, funding limitations and general application requirements for SBAC.

SBAC meets Wednesdays at 5 p.m. in the Bovee UC. Additional informational meetings for RSOs will continue at 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. Tuesday, as well as Thursday at noon.

Brown said he encourages RSOs to attend the Wednesday meetings with presentations of their RSO.

Williamston senior Kendra Barrett was the only person in attendance for Tuesday’s meeting. She is the president of Design Herd, an RSO dedicated to graphic design.

“A lot of RSO’s do not have a lot of money,” Barrett said. “I learned where and how I can get money for my RSO. I would like to be able to do things and make an impact.”

A unicameral legislature for SGA will be more efficient and increase the effectualness of the body itself. As one of the primary legs of Cavataio’s and English’s platform, they want to use a unicameral legislature to create a more attentive student body, which is extremely important. The duo said apathy among members inspired their desire to redesign SGA’s structure.

The current system for the SGA legislature, a Senate and House of Representatives, is not working. It requires that every registered student organization attend weekly meetings to receive funding from the Student Budget Allocation Committee. This is not the way to increase participation amongst the RSOs, and Cavataio and English recognized this.

Holding SBAC funding over the heads of RSOs and mandating their participation is not the best way to get students involved in student government. All it does is create an entire governmental body — with those who might be uninterested — consisting primarily of members forced to attend.

Forced participation does nothing but put bodies in seats. It does not facilitate constructive discourse about campus issues, which is what needs to be happening at SGA meetings. It is not the quantity that matters, after all, but the quality of students dedicating their time to better represent the needs of the student body.

The new SGA administration said it will establish a transition committee to determine the best way to make the switch from a bicameral system to a unicameral system. Cavataio also said the committee will determine if the SGA is ready for the switch, and if it is not ready by the end of the fall semester, they will delay the process until it becomes viable to implement in full.

It is important that Cavataio and English go about this with care so the best decisions are made regarding the legislature. While the idea of a unicameral system is good in theory, they need to motivate people to participate because they will no longer have SBAC funding guaranteeing at least a few rows of warm bodies.

Cavataio and English spoke often about decreasing campus apathy regarding SGA, and they will need to work even harder to motivate students to get involved in the revamped SGA.

For SGA to be effective, it must have an engaged and enthusiastic legislature, and a unicameral system could be a significant step toward it.

“It’s definitely cheaper,” said Whitney Dubay, Phi Sigma Sigma sorority president and Essexville senior.

The Broadway Theatre, 216 E. Broadway St., is allowing more Central Michigan University RSOs to use the venue, said Phil Mikus, board chairman of Friends of the Broadway, the nonprofit entity that owns the theatre.

“We want to bring different groups into the Broadway and we’re willing to negotiate on price,” he said.

Mikus said RSOs are not charged more than $350 to use the Broadway Theatre.

Phi Sigma Sigma hosted the Mr. PhiSignificant Pageant at the Broadway Theatre in October.

The group tried for Plachta Auditorium, but did not get the paperwork in time to qualify for Student Budget Allocation Committee funding.

“In my opinion, it worked out better anyway,” Dubay said. “Because the Broadway had a nicer atmosphere all around.”

She said the Broadway Theatre provided additional perks at no extra cost, including free concessions and free lighting services for the Mr. PhiSignificant Pageant.

What about Plachta?

Students who use Plachta Auditorium and Broadway Theatre say there are pros and cons to both venues.

“We’ve had great shows at both,” said Nicole Bouman, Big Rapids senior and president of CMU’s female a cappella group On the Rox.

On the Rox hosted its fall concert this year at Plachta Auditorium because it felt it was more convenient than an off-campus venue.

They group paid within 5 percent of Assistant Director of University Events Keith Voeks’ original estimate of $1,212 to use Plachta Auditorium.

Voeks said the use of sound, lighting, video projection and microphone equipment contributes to Plachta Auditorium’s higher price tag.

“Plachta is not a regularly funded venue,” he said. “It does not have an operating fund.”

Voeks said that is why RSOs have to pay for equipment and labor costs.

The only organizations that pay rental fees are those unaffiliated with the university.

Voeks said he refers students to the Broadway Theatre if Plachta Auditorium does not cater to their needs.

“It’s a great nonprofit facility and we should support them,” he said.

The SBAC funds awarded to On the Rox covered all university event fees for its fall concert, allowing it to take advantage of Plachta Auditorium’s size.

Utilizing Plachta Auditorium does have its conveniences, but some RSOs may still look elsewhere if the price is not right, Voeks said.

“This year, we are seeing a slight decrease (in use by RSOs) in the more expensive places,” he said.

“We’d like to get this done by next fiscal year,” the Mount Pleasant senior said. “It’s a matter of finding money.”

CPF funds a variety of programs, including the Student Budget Allocation Committee, Program Board and the Volunteer Center. It is funded by the university.

Nichol is reporting to the Board of Trustees in December, where he hopes to have some form of progress to take back to SGA.

Vice President of Finance and Administrative Services David Burdette said there is a possibility of funds increasing in the future.

“SGA has done a good job of allocating funding so far,” he said. “We need to keep an eye on inflation and then decide if we need to increase these funds over time.”

However, with the struggling Michigan economy, it remains to be seen if an increase is possible, said Carol Haas, director of Financial Planning and Budgets.

“With uncertainty in state appropriations, we want to position ourselves for possible budget reductions,” Haas said.

The state awarded more than $83 million to CMU for the 2008-09 academic year. Interim University President Kathy Wilbur told Central Michigan Life in June that the university would be ‘lucky’ to keep this year’s state appropriations at the same level as last year. Last year, the university received an increase of 1 percent in appropriations, instead of the 3 percent it requested.

Nichol is still hopeful CPF will receive an increase. He said SGA will work to find a situation that works for everyone.

He feels that not increasing the budget would hurt the college experience.

“In essence, the stagnant allocation is illogical when you consider a significant increase in student enrollment and an increase in general programming costs,” Nichol said.

Other funds being cut

While Nichol is searching for increases in CPF, other areas are being reduced.

The SBAC had its budget cut to approximately $88,000 from $99,000 this year, said Director of Student Life Tony Voisin.

SBAC helps a variety of people on campus by funding trips and events for various registered student organizations, Nichol said.

“The SBAC has had money left over in their account in previous years,” Nichol said. “Groups like Program Board and Volunteer Center have a tighter budget threshold. This gives them some breathing room.”

Nichol said the position of coordinator of student activities, held by Damon Brown, receives rollover money from program funding as part an annual salary, and will not be affected by the cuts in SBAC.

CMU has the ability to pay the salary through other areas, Nichol said, and an increase in CPF funding also would help. SBAC is under an umbrella of programs receiving funding from CPF.

“SGA, in general, and me, personally, believe that programming is absolutely vital to retention and building a community experience on campus,” Nichol said. “In addition, the creation of an event center alone will not bring large events to Central Michigan University. You need the financial capabilities to hold an event.”