ASPSU outlines new budget

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On Wednesday the Associated Students of Portland State University met to discuss the initial draft of the student government’s budget for the fiscal year 2013–14.

While the budget and the student fee committee’s annual allocations for university resources have yet to be finalized, it was clear at the meeting that cuts in funding are on the way because of a decrease in revenue from student fees.

“Basically, we have to tell everyone, ‘This is a very tight business. I understand you have many things that you would like to do, programs that might be interesting for students, but we might not have the money,’” SFC Chair Nick Rowe said.

The SFC allocates operating funds for various student groups and clubs, from the Academic and Student Rec Center to athletics, from student publications to the Women’s Resource Center.

These funds come from student fees, which the university collects from enrollment.

The plans come on the heels of projections from the PSU Office of Institutional Research and Planning, which works with the University Budget Office and reflects a decrease in revenue that is expected from fewer students enrolling at PSU and taking fewer overall credit hours.

“Our credit hours were basically flat [last year], and this year they declined by about 1 percent,” said Tiffany Dollar, ASPSU president. Dollar played a significant role in helping create the initial budget draft.

Dollar attributed the decrease in enrollment to tuition hikes, the costs of downtown Portland living and the reemergence of the job market as the economy slowly recovers.

“They [the budget office] are conservative, but these projections are a lot lower than last year’s. It means that we are going to have to apply more scrutiny,” Rowe said.

ASPSU salaries also have the potential to be cut, along with funding for campus resources. During the meeting, one senator raised concerns about the minimal base estimate service award for senators. The base level salary in the budget draft was $350 per term, per senator.

“No one really enjoys looking at his or her base budget,” Rowe said.

“It’s not necessarily reflective of what the funding will be. It’s not just ASPSU. There were program administrators that didn’t like the base level of funding,” he added.

Rowe noted that while the projections show a decrease in funding, the initial draft does not accurately reflect what the final ASPSU budget will be. The senate, along with the SFC, still has a long process of collective work before the final allocations will be made on Feb. 17.

“One thing that I really tried to keep in mind when I was creating the ASPSU budget was not to grow our own budget,” Dollar said. “I think we’re trying to be very responsible and making sure people have access to all the resources around campus.”