Marquette Student Government unanimously approved its operating budget for the fiscal year 2005 on April 22, and the numbers demonstrate a resolve to provide more funding for student organizations, expand programming and streamline internal expenses.

The student activity fee — the $48 amount all full-time undergraduate students pay each year — provides $392,000 for the budget. The budget includes a number of expenses: administrative, programs and services, program board and student organization events. The budget for the fiscal year 2004 was projected at $402,400.

MUSG Financial Vice President Dan LaNuez said the budget was created with the goal to limit the amount spent within the organization and maximize the amount spent on student organizations.

To streamline internal expenses, the budget committee decreased the line for the MUSG Recognition Reception by $100 and postage expenses by $300. The organization's funding agreement with the Alumni Memorial Union was cut in half from $15,000 to $7,500 after negotiations led by former MUSG President Kate Agnew.

The funding agreement with the AMU was reduced since MUSG holds many events in the union that do not charge admission. Typically, the union does not charge student organizations to rent the space if they do not charge admission for their events.

After additional expenses were added to the budget, including increased banking fees and photocopying expenses, LaNuez said there was about $7,000 taken from administrative expenses and moved to the student organization events section.

This line of the budget is mandated by the MUSG constitution to reserve at least 25 percent of the student activity fee to fund student organizations. LaNuez said the new budget for organization allocations is $84,900, or 27.3 percent of the student activity fee.

Three areas of programming received additional funding to accommodate high student interest. Late Night programming and the films commission were expanded for the current academic year and both exceeded their budget lines. They were given an additional $4,500 and $1,000 respectively for their budgets for next year to increase their budgets to $31,000 and $24,000.

Funding for MUSG-sponsored concerts was also given an increase of $2,700 for a total budget line of $62,000.

Program Vice President Jess Ripp said the concert budget line is meant to fund two big-name musical acts. He cited this fall's sold-out Guster show as motivation to continue bringing quality performers to campus.

However, the comedy and novelty part of MUSG's programming was completely eliminated from the budget, formerly allotted $9,000, due to poor attendance at the events. The diversity budget line decreased from $10,000 to $9,000, a point of concern for some senators before voting on the budget.

"Diversity organizations are best at promoting diversity programs," Ripp said. "We had good diversity programming but didn't get a big draw."

Ripp said MUSG will use the money to co-sponsor events and maximize attendance, instead of spending it on original programming.

"This is the first time we are using this line for the specific purpose," LaNuez said of the diversity line. "If it is successful, I hope this budget line will increase in the future."

According to Jon Dooley, assistant dean of Student Development and MUSG adviser, it is rare for a student government to have the administrative oversight MUSG possesses. He said this financial autonomy is a long-standing practice at Marquette.

"MUSG has its own checking account independent from the university, tracks its own expenses, has its own finance office and contracts its own external audit every two years," Dooley said.

A budget committee of six voting members creates the buget each year. The committee included Agnew, Dooley, LaNuez, College of Business Administration senator senior Brian Baranowski and South Hall senator freshman Anton Timms.

LaNuez said he does not yet know whether the amount of money in the reserve fund, which contains extra student activity fee revenue, interest collected and alumni donations, has increased or decreased this year. He said this information wouldn't be available until the books for fiscal year 2004 close in June.