Pol Le, News Editor—
It’s finance season for Denison Council Government Association (DCGA).
“The Division of Student Life has provided DCGA an annual allocation of $800,000 for campus organization budgets for the 2023-2024 academic year,” Dana Carnes Pursley, Director of the Alford Community Leadership and Involvement Center (CLIC), said.
The DCGA Finance Committee’s goal is to review all budgets objectively, aligning with the DCGA Funding Rules which guide decision-making about the allocation and use of funds.
The committee will have approximately eight hours of meetings per week for five weeks or until they have reviewed all budgets and made allocation decisions.
The committee has not amended or changed the DCGA Funding Rules this academic year, and there are no new policies regarding how budgets are reviewed.
The additional funding will come from DCGA’s Reserve Fund, of which the maximum budget allocation is $250,000 for this fiscal year. The Reserve Fund was created due to a surplus of funding that went unused by Denion’s student organizations.
The committee is taking a more conservative approach this year, focusing on being fiscally responsible and creating a culture where campus leadership groups are utilizing funds effectively.
The committee is looking at how organizations spend money to judge whether they will be allocated the same amount in the next year.
“If a club spends $2,000 on events in one year but only spends $1,000 on events the following year, the committee may decide to cut the budget down to $1,000 for the next academic year.” Kelvin Giathinh Phan ‘25, a member of the Finance Committee said.
Phan gave advice that organizations should be specific in their proposals and avoid lump sums, which could indicate poor financial planning.
The committee is committed to ensuring that campus life stays consistent and that financial planning is a top priority.