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Students get down with it at the RHA Welcome Back Dance. This is one of the many programs that RHA puts on every year.
RHA approves budget increase
The Pointer
jglod170@uwsp.edu
Students could soon find themselves paying more for programs through Residence Hall Association and the residence halls. Throughout the last couple years, the RHA and residence hall governments have been pushing around the idea of increasing the amount given to them through their budget for programming and other needs. RHA decided to pass two recommendations to increase funds for themselves and for the residence hall programming to use in November.
“In the past, concerns have been brought up regarding hall budgets and program funding,” said Scott Asbach, RHA president. “Hall governments have expressed interest in expanding current hall budgets to accommodate inflation, the rising price of goods and services and the overall increase in cost for quality programming.”
This first of the two proposals increases funding for the residence hall programming. This change would take place for the 2009-2010 academic year and would increase their share from $9 per residence hall student to $11.
It also includes a plan to increase the amount by $1 every four years following that year. This proposal explains, “the gradual increase in prices due to inflation since [the] 1990s and the current economic slump both contribute to the significance of this legislation necessary to continue quality programming in the residence halls.”
The second proposal centers on many of the same ideas but with funding being increased for RHA. This proposal would increase the RHA budget $2 per residence hall student every two years with the first funding increase occurring in the 2011-2012 academic year.
“The critical part of the two recommendations was the section regarding ‘incremental’ increases, respectable to each part of the two proposals, which efficiently revamped the process through an incremental rate change instead of the constant re-examination due to rising prices of goods and services by the Policies and Facilities Committee,” said Asbach.
The RHA and residence hall budgets have not increased their budgets in years making it harder to offer a lot of big programs free for students.
“The last date of a budget update was February of 1990. The delegates in RHA felt that increased allocation of funds for hall governments and the Residence Hall Association was crucial and necessary,” said Asbach.
Both proposals also have a clause allowing for the policies to be reviewed after a certain number of years and these increases will also be brought up during the annual budget analysis.
These proposals will be coming up for approval in Residential Living and included in their annual budget.
