• The proposed budget for the 2010 fiscal year was presented to the Marquette Student Government Senate on April 16.
• The Senate will debate and vote on the budget at this Thursday's meeting.
• Fifty-four percent of the proposed budget will go to the Program Board.

The proposed budget for the 2010 fiscal year was presented to the Marquette Student Government Senate at its April 16 meeting and will be voted on by the body this week.

Financial Vice President Jon Giel, a junior in the College of Business Administration, presented the budget, which estimates total revenue and expenses of $495,800.

About 54 percent of the total proposed budget will go to the Program Board. One-third of the budget is designated for Student Organization Allocations. The remainder of the proposed budget is designated for administrative expenses and programs and services expenses.

SOA will receive 40 percent of Student Activity Fee revenue, which is estimated to total $408,000.

In his presentation, Giel noted that over the last seven years the percentage of Student Activity Fee revenue going toward the SOA has increased significantly — about 100 percent. This increase is much higher than that of the Program Board, which has seen a 25 percent increase.

However, compared to the current budget, the proposed budget for next year sees a much larger increase in Program Board expenses than in SOA expenses.

Giel justified this increase by saying there was a significant demand from students for more on-campus programming.

He cited a 2007 survey of the student body that found less than 50 percent of students supported funding for off-campus student organizations and club sports events, but 95 percent supported funding for on-campus student organization events.

The 2010 fiscal year budget is about $20,000 more than the 2009 fiscal year budget, Giel said.

He said the budget was formed based on proposals from former MUSG Executive Vice President Kathleen Blaney and former Program Vice President Claire Anglim, both seniors.

Giel said the Budget Committee, comprised of six members, began meeting in early February and voted and approved the proposed budget March 25.

The Senate will debate and vote on the budget at this Thursday's meeting, at which time senators will be able to propose changes to the budget.

Senators will be able to make amendments to the Senate budget by adjusting the proposed expenses, such as moving money from one expense area to another, Giel said.

If the budget does not pass, it will be opened up for line-by-line approval, MUSG Advisor Jon Dooley said.

Line-by-line approval, which could occur at the final Senate meeting on April 30, means the Senate would look at every section of budget expenses independently, such as Program Board expenses. If an objection is raised to a specific section's expenses, the Senate would examine every line of the section for approval, Giel said.

He said he would meet with the different Senate committees this week to review specific parts of the budget and allow senators to ask questions before Thursday's meeting. No changes to the proposed budget can be made in the committees.

In other MUSG News…

 Lauren Lakomek, a junior in the College of Communication, was approved as the new MUSG Communications Vice President.

She replaces Katy Klinnert, a senior in the College of Communication.