The University of Connecticut’s Undergraduate Student Government (USG) reached its budget cap for Tier II organizations last week and had to close this year’s funding system, according to an email sent to club officers Monday.
“USG has run out of available funds to distribute to clubs this year,” stated the email. ”Due to this, we are closing our Tier-II Funding System effective immediately.”
According to USG Comptroller Ben Keilty, the total amount of funding requested by clubs went over $1.2 million last year. This year, clubs were only able to request $900,000 before USG ran out of funds to give.
“It is clear as we established last year that if USG has the funds, clubs will want $1.2 million worth of funding,” Keilty said. “This year we only had $900,000 available, and in fact, that is still using up some of those extra funds that we had as a result of COVID.”
This point in the year differs from previous years, when the budget would run out at the end of the semester or never at all.
“We’ve never gotten to this point before… last year was the first year we went over [the budget],” said USG Funding Staff Supervisor Stephanie Boisrond. “Before starting funding this year we thought we would maybe have issues around late March, but early February was not our expectation.”
According to USG’s email, the reason for this early closing of the Tier II funding system comes from increased demand of clubs, as well as an unchanged budget for the past 10 years.
“So far this year, USG has received 1,126 funding requests from 202 Tier-II groups,” the email said. “This is an increase from last year’s 1,026 requests from 197 groups.”
In regard to USG’s budget, the email said it “has not increased in nearly a decade, and the additional funds made available during the pandemic have been utilized largely through USG’s Tier II Funding and food insecurity advocacies.”
USG is one of four Tier III organizations requesting a fee increase this year. They are asking for a $10 increase, which if approved would raise the current $45 undergraduate student fee to $55 starting the fall of 2025. This fee makes up a portion of the Student Activities fee in each semester’s fee bill.
This fee increase, according to Keilty, would raise USG’s Tier II budget to an amount sufficient to meet clubs’ requests without closing the funding system.
“Without an increase to the USG budget long term, we’re looking at a number somewhere between $700,000 and $800,000 for what USG can give out to cubs and that, we have established, is not enough,” Keilty said.
As stated in the email, USG would need to continue to cut club funding and advocacy initiatives if their request for a fee increase is not accepted.
“Unfortunately, if USG’s increase request is unsuccessful, we will be forced to make further cuts in all areas, including club funding and advocacy, to ensure that we have enough resources to meet student demand in the long term,” the email said.
“SG exists to represent you and your interests. Whatever you decide, we look forward to supporting you in your clubs’ initiatives and the issues that matter most to you,” the email added.
The vote for fee increases for USG and other Tier IIIs is currently open, ending on Thursday, March 7. It can be found in the Referenda section of the joint elections ballot.