The following covers the meeting on April 17

USO Funding
Rec Sports – Requesting $218,100
Recreation Sports presented their funding request for $218,000, hoping to increase the resources available for intramural sports, club sports and Outdoor Recreation (OREC). Kristen Harrison, associate director for rec sports, oversees all of these student-led activities and student staff members, all while coordinating events which hundreds of students partake in. Due to student demand being higher than ever, Rec Sports are constantly expanding, adding new club sports like archery, women’s water polo and pickleball in this past year alone. OREC has also specifically seen this new demand and requested an additional $500 per semester to offer larger-scale trips, ensure accessibility and provide summer OREC events as well. Additionally, OREC asked for a $1,000 equipment increase to cover the cost of new sleeping bags, which would replace some that are old and degraded from use.

Another large portion of the proposed budget was van mileage, as Rec Sports tries to cover the cost of travel for all club sports and OREC trips. With the national average cost of gas increasing from 65.5 cents to 67 cents in the span of a semester, these expenses are rising. Club sports spent $7,000 and OREC spent $2,700 on mileage alone in the past year. The last large portion of the budget covered wages for student employees of the Bell Center and OREC trip leaders, as some of these workers recently received a pay increase that significantly affected the budget.

Junior Senator Andrew Phillips asked if all employees under Rec Sports get paid the same, to which the presenters replied that employees of the operations department get paid based on their position, with managers making about $3 more than monitors due to a difference in experience. All intramural employees were revealed to make minimum wage, and OREC trip leaders make $10/hour. Assistant Treasurer Avery Lim followed up with a question about the total proposed fund for staff wages, pointing out how Rec Sports was asking for $50,000, yet had only used $34,000. Harrison replied that fluctuations in interest for intramural and club sports aren’t always consistent or balanced, so the budget reflected higher club sports spending to compensate for lacking intramural interest.

TUSA – Requesting $37,850
TUSA presented next, asking for $37,850 to fund their activities for next year. The presenters emphasized their organization’s role in bridging leadership with legacy by facilitating interactions between alumni and current students. TUSA’s funding covers the expenses of a variety of events throughout the year, including some in collaboration with Alumni Relations and Development and the Office of the President. They also work to put on fundraising events like the 1869 Challenge and I Heart TU. This year alone, TUSA has had 30 events, $28,000 fundraised and over 935 hours worked by their student employees. Their proposed budget increased significantly from past years in order to boost operations and rebranding, following a redesign of their logo as well as an increase in their student leader compensations.

Senior Senator Lucy Orosco asked if there was a reason TUSA’s retreats and development training fund had not been fully used in the year prior. The presenters said this resulted from big retreats being at the end of the year and not having happened yet, but assured SGA that TUSA would use the allocated funds. Along the same lines, junior Senator Allison Waters asked about the purpose of retreats and how TUSA utilized them, which the presenters explained as a transitional training experience for new ambassadors who come in mid-March.

Trinitonian – Requesting $80,277
Representatives from the Trinitonian presented the university-sponsored organization’s (USO) budget for next year, emphasizing their role in informing the larger Trinity community, providing a forum for discussion and offering students the opportunity to work in a journalistic setting. As one of the largest employers of students on campus, the Trinitonian uses most of its budget to issue staff wages. This fact, compounded by the lack of carryover from previous years, resulted in a much higher budget than proposals in previous years.

Many senators commented on the fact that wages alone seemed much higher than they had been historically. This wage difference resulted from a miscalculation on behalf of the former executive editors, who overestimated the work that visual staff members were putting in weekly. The presenters clarified that the Trinitonian pays staff per assignment, rather than on specific logged hours, which was how the former executives calculated pay. This oversight was said to be corrected. Vice President Caterina Mora questioned the role of carryover in the budget, as USOs are not supposed to count carryover towards the next year. The Trinitonian retained carryover from before the pandemic, which only increased during COVID years as a result of printing far fewer issues. Advisor Jamie Thompson said that, while the carryover should not exist, it was being used up regardless.

Mirage – Requesting $52,000

The Mirage, the USO in charge of creating yearbooks, requested $52,000 for next year’s budget, citing the need for new furniture in their creative space, more widespread campus marketing and staff wages. The Mirage used a good portion of its budget in the past towards staff development, staff incentives and credit card fees, but decreased the recurring costs of these line items to prioritize the production and printing costs of the yearbook itself. Like the Trinitonian, the Mirage had roughly $3,000 in carryover from previous years.

Again, numerous senators asked after the role or significance of carryover in the budget, questioning whether the USO was relying too much on it or skewing the calculated total that the Mirage was asking for. This led to further discussion about the role of the Board of Campus Publications, which oversees both the Mirage and the Trinitonian, in building budget proposals and keeping SGA in the loop regarding how allotted funds are being used or rearranged. The presenter disclosed that while both Campus Publications have an advisor, they are not looped into the full proceedings and requirements that come with USO funding.

USO Funding Deliberations
Greek Council – Fully funded for $30,960
With no deliberation, as all senator class groups approved of the budget, sophomore Senator Bocar Diagana motioned to fully fund Greek Council for $30,960. Senator Waters seconded.

Rec Sports – Fully funded for $218,100
Senators from class years 2025, 2026 and 2027 agreed to fully fund. However, 2024 senators instead initially proposed funding Rec Sports with the five-year average of their past USO budget proposals, cutting spring travel funds for OREC. Senior Senator Adam Garza expressed concern over Rec Sports’ not spending as much on travel as their budget indicated but admitted that the presentation clarified that funds were still being used through the end of the semester. Senator Orosco believed the wages for staff were too high and proposed that SGA could partially fund the wages between the asking cost and the current cost. Deliberation ended as sophomore Senator Omar Ratrut motioned to fully fund, with Senator Garza seconding. The motion passed.

Mirage – Partially funded for $47,000
Vice President Mora proposed funding the Mirage with the USO’s five-year average. Junior Senator Joy Areola contested this, stressing that the funds from last year had been used, including carryover, which indicated that the Mirage needed the whole of its asked budget in order to operate. Senator Ratrut agreed, pointing out that a five-year average would cut the Mirage’s funding by $10,000. Senator Phillips eventually proposed a middle ground of $47,000, halfway between the five-year average and the Mirage’s asked funding. When a few more senators raised concerns over whether this would be enough to cover costs in full, junior Senator Harrison Tinker assured SGA that if the Mirage didn’t receive enough money now, they could always come to SGA for more funding further down the line. Senator Garza motioned to partially fund the Mirage for $47,000, with first-year Senator Patricia Hermoso seconding. The motion passed.

Trinitonian – Partially funded for $68,655.50
Deliberation over the Trinitonian’s budget proposal revealed much indecision and uncertainty. Senator Waters offered the option of the five-year average, which Senator Tinker approved of, immediately moving to motion to partially fund the Trinitonian for $57,034. Before anyone could second, Senator Orosco said that SGA should apply the same logic it used for the prior deliberation. Senator Ratrut agreed in part, emphasizing that the Mirage and the Trinitonian were two different entities and should be treated as such; carryover affected the two USOs and their budgets, but still provided room for SGA to cut line items if necessary.

Further deliberation saw Senator Tinker express his desire to prioritize the Student Activity Fund throughout these funding proposals, saying that fully funding all USOs would be unsustainable. Eventually, Senator Orosco motioned to partially fund the Trinitonian for $68,655.50, a middle ground between the five-year average and the asked amount. First-year Senator Claire Binns seconded, and the motion passed, though junior Senators Tinker, Waters and Murray Wang remained strictly opposed.
TUVAC – Partially funded for $30,260
Senator Garza brought attention to extensive increases in TUVAC’s project supplies and transportation budgeting compared to the prior year’s actual spending patterns. To find an early middle ground, Senator Garza also proposed an average created from all four class groups’ proposals. Senator Waters campaigned for SGA to use the budget changes outlined by the junior senators, which would cut project supplies to $7,000, transportation to $750 and set wages to $15,360. Senator Areola motioned to partially fund TUVAC for $30,260, seconded by Senator Garza. Motion passed.

TDC – Partially funded for $36,982.92
The deliberation on TDC’s budget involved senators going through the budget line-by-line. Senator Orosco and Senator Binns agreed that the cost of TDC’s six dialogue events was excessive. After Vice President Mora clarified that SGA couldn’t tell TDC what events they could or could not have, a straw poll was used to gauge opinions on allocating $4,000 for dialogue events, indicating that most senators agreed. Following a similar liberation of other line items, Senator Orosco motioned to partially fund TDC for $36,982.92. The motion passed after being seconded by Senator Tinker, but not without some dispute from Senator Areola over proxy votes.

TUSA – Partially funded for $34,350.00

Senator Orosco suggested several cuts in different line items, while Senator Phillips maintained the importance of TUSA’s rebrand and programming. Senator Areola emphasized that reaching out to students and alumni is the whole point of TUSA. There were still some areas of debate in terms of potential cuts. The senators went line-by-line and held straw polls to determine a number, with Senator Phillips ultimately motioning to partially fund TUSA $34,350.00. Senator Wang seconded, and the motion passed.

SPB – $196,655
The final USO deliberation of the night kept tensions high, as Senator Phillips began the discussion by announcing that the junior senators were not particularly interested in funding the annual spring concert. In the wake of mixed reception regarding the recent spring concert with Bryce Vine and Hoodie Allen, Senator Tinker explained that the Student Activity Fund could fund larger campus events with broader appeal. The junior senators offered a $30,000 buffer to be used by SPB to contribute to other Trinity traditions, though this was not elaborated on.

Senator Areola agreed, saying that concert costs only continue to climb and that the event was getting pricier by the year, especially with student demand for recognizable artists. Many members of SGA voiced their disappointment in the most recent concerts, except Waka Flocka Flame two and a half years prior. Senior Senator Nadesh Vaithianathan refuted the junior senators’ proposal, questioning the ability of $30,000 to fund any sort of new event and have it be effective and appealing. Once again, Senator Tinker stressed that less money allocated to SPB meant more money to give to registered student organizations, so they could use it for smaller-scale events. Advisor Thompson emphasized that Student Involvement needs both large and small events to diversify student experiences.

Communications Chair Sam Damon asked SGA to show SPB some grace, given the fact that the USO suffered the loss of advisors and experienced leaders; the less popular concerts in recent years were not total losses, especially with SPB’s emphasis on student-organized events. Senator Tinker countered by saying that the most fair thing would be to allocate more money to student organizations in the future. Senator Vaithianathan disagreed, commenting that SGA would be overreaching its bounds by preventing USO events outright.

After a brief break, Senator Ratrut proposed funding SPB their five-year average. Senator Orosco motioned to partially fund SPB $173,817.75, which Senator Ratrut seconded. Senators Phillips, Tinker, Waters and Areola voted no, but the motion still passed.

Officer Reports
To wrap up the last meeting of the semester, President Nguyen reminded SGA that their transition dinner was next week, insisting members accept the Google Calendar invite in their inbox or risk him hunting them down. President Nguyen also restated that SGA’s Block Party would be occurring on Friday.