Letter to the Editor: Housing budget must be reevaluated

Dean Gabriel Williams/Housing Senator, SGC-MMC

As announced at a recent Senate meeting on the 21st of March, the Residence Hall Association will receive $22, 680 to operate for the 2011-12 academic school year, all of which is being allocated only for attendance at conferences and to facilitate town hall meetings.

As a Housing Senator, I am obligated to do what is both just and necessary to enhance the resident student experience at FIU. As a result, I have devised some solutions that I am certain will prove to be instrumental in securing additional funding for RHA.

The first is to revise of the proviso language allow RHA to utilize allocated funding for whatever purpose necessary. The proposed proviso language for RHA states that “…we approve $22,680 for student conference and town hall meetings…”

This essentially means that for the 2011-12 academic school year, RHA has no funding to facilitate programming for residents of FIU. Revision of this proviso language would be a step in right direction, with regard to assisting RHA in achieving its objective providing programming and events to its constituents.

The second is to revisit and re-allocate the MMC Budget. In light of everything discussed, the SGC-MMC Budget Committee should be compelled to revisit the currently allocated MMC Budget and allocate less funding to line items such as emoluments ($95,000), the SGA Banquet ($6,000) and discretionary and contingency ($25,000) and re-allocate additional funding to RHA.

SGC-MMC is obligated to do whatever is both possible and necessary to ensure that governing councils subordinate to it have all the resources necessary to serve its constituents.

Certainly, re-visiting and re-allocating the budget to better serve RHA is, at the very least, plausible.

The third is that the Departments of Residential Life and Housing considering subsidizing RHA’s budget annually. While university housing is struggling with a $90 Million mortgage, it is customary at most institutions of higher learning that Housing and Residential Life fund any and all hall councils and associations. A feasible plan would be a ten year plan that would obligate the Departments of Housing and Residential Life to fund 50% of RHA’s budget, in increments of 5% each year until the 50% subsidy is achieved.

It is imperative that the Departments of Housing and Residential Life realize that FIU residents are more than students; they are customers whose needs and desires should be facilitated in an efficient, effective manner.

With that being said, expecting these Departments to fund 50% of the budget of a student run organization that is geared towards enhancing the residential experience is not un-reasonable.

The fourth and final solution is that the residual funds in the Accumulated Cash Balance (ACB) account be utilized to subsidize RHA’s budget for the 2011-12 academic school year. At the end of each fiscal year, all un-used student activity and service fees are placed into an account, known as the ACB, which accrues interest and may only be utilized in cases of emergencies, which is managed by the Division of Student Affairs.

The Division of Student Affairs should consider allocating to RHA the difference between what the SGC-MMC Budget Committee has provided to RHA and the funding that RHA has requested for the 2011-12 academic school year, from the ACB.

While many may question whether or not this instance qualifies as an emergency, what we do know is that RHA’s level of commitment and dedication to its residents is well within the realm of both the letter and the spirit of President Rosenberg’s “World’s Ahead” Initiative, and as such, rightfully deserves an opportunity to continue to do so.