STUSU budget released
The STUSU is working to get its expenses to fit into its budget this year.
VP Administration, Emily Sheen, said the STUSU budget is lower than expected because of low admission numbers. Sheen said there are 2,214 full-time students and 132 part-time students at STU.
“This resulted in a significant decrease of how much money we’re bringing in,” said Sheen at the Oct. 3 council meeting.
“We usually have nearly 2,400 [full-time students]. We had budgeted 2,300 for this year and we were hoping that would be on the low side. But, it was on the high side, apparently.”
The STUSU was given a budget of $300,822 through tuition fees. Sheen projected expenses for the STUSU this year to be $301,107.21.
There are a few areas in the budget Sheen said were over accounted for.
“For example, the STUgenda line [where] we budgeted $8,000, it’s actually only going to be costing us $5,600,” said Sheen. “So, there’s a couple thousand dollars there that we have as a cushion.”
The STUSU is already in the red for two lines this year. Capital expenditures are over $261.85 after budgeting $1,000 because of the new furniture bought for the president’s office.
“[It] really needed to be done because, I don’t know if you saw the couch that was in there before, but your grandmother wouldn’t sit on that,” said Sheen.
Election fees are also over $413.42 after budgeting $2,500 due to a one-time fee for hosting online voting.
Sheen said it’s normal to have elections at this price because of payment to the poll clerks manning the polling booths.
“So, the online elections are comparable in price to not-online elections,” said Sheen.
The STUSU spends most of its money on representative and employee salaries. Although individual wages are not available to the public, $34,000 was budgeted for representative salaries and $120,907.21 was budgeted for employee salaries. This makes for a total of $154,907.21 budgeted for 34 positions plus summer employees, the receiver general and vacation pay.
Another large expense for the STUSU is Student Life expenditures which includes activities for students to participate in, SafeRide, Welcome Week and academic assistance, among others. There is $78,000 budgeted for these student services.
HCH rep resigns
The vice president external for Holy Cross House has resigned from his position. In doing so, Denis Boulet also gave up his seat as HCH representative on the STUSU.
“The decision comes after becoming aware of a fundamental incompatibility between myself and the nature of the Student’s Union as a corporate board,” said Boulet in a letter to Elizabeth Murphy, president of the STUSU. “Furthermore, to maintain a good mental health, it is imperative that I focus my energies with my studies and in activities that fully agree with me.”
The STUSU are in talks with the HCH president to find an interim.
Emergency bursary changes pass
Bylaw changes to the emergency bursaries passed unanimously by the STUSU on Oct. 3.
Changes were made to Part Nine of the operations manual, sections four and five.
The change in section four was to make the emergency bursaries coordinator chair of the emergency bursaries committee. Previously it was the VP student life.
Michael Haley is now chair of the emergency bursaries committee.
The second change is who will be sitting on the committee, which is the emergency bursaries coordinator, president, general manager and VP student life. Student advocate, Johna Spencer, will no longer be on the committee.
