The Student Fee Committee voted to zero-fund Student Activities and Leadership Programs (SALP) during initial allocations for the 2007-08 year because an advisory board was never established to review and approve the SALP budget.
The Student Fee Committee (SFC) is charged with allocating almost $10 million in student fees to Portland State’s nearly 100 student groups, including athletics and the Vanguard.
Zero-funding does not mean that SALP will receive no funds for the 2007-08 year, but the organization will have to appeal the allocation to get its funds put in a designated reserve. No SALP advisory board has met during this school year and the SFC chose to delay a decision on the SALP budget until allocation appeals because SFC Chair Madeline Enos said the SFC felt there was not enough student input in the SALP budget.
SALP is the parent organization that advises the majority of student groups on campus. SALP can still be funded during allocation appeals, which will take place within the month, but Enos said that SALP funds will most likely be put in a designated reserve that SALP would not be able to access until a SALP advisory board approves the budget.
The SALP advisory board is made up one member from each of the eight student group clusters that SALP oversees, three non-students and one facilitator, and the board reviews and approves the SALP budget each year before the budget is submitted to the SFC.