NO MONEY, MO PROBLEMS

In April, University Union President Kate McKenna was studying abroad in London when she received a perplexing call.

It was from then-President Naimah Rahman, telling McKenna that UU’s Advanced Semester Allocation request—which is used to secure funding a semester in advance for events like Juice Jam—had been cut significantly. While McKenna didn’t say by how much, she recently told The Daily Orange UU’s budget was nearly cut in half, with some initiatives defunded entirely.

The cuts to UU’s budget are the lasting repercussions of COVID-19 complications on student organization funding.

Each year, the Student Government Association (SGA) Finance Board and Assembly grants all Registered Student Organizations(RSOs) funding amassed by the student activity fee, a $219 expense every Syracuse University student pays to support campus organizations.SGA allocates money through two different processes, according to Anne Lombard, SU’s executive director of student engagement. The vast majority of the money is granted through advanced semester allocations, in which RSOs can plan ahead and submit larger budget requests for the following semester. A smaller pot of money is granted for special programming, which refers to RSO funding granted and spent in the same semester.

“They want groups to plan ahead, but they can't plan ahead for everything, so when a great opportunity presents itself, that would be requested through the special [budget],” Lombard said.

Because activities paused during COVID-19 and spending slowed in the pandemic's wake, SGA operated with an inflated budget through 2024, to the point where nearly all RSO funding requests were approved, according to SGA Comptroller Alexis Leach.

Last spring, as the remnants of the COVID budget ran dry, SGA and student organizations began to feel the effects. SGA allocated almost $291,000 in advanced allocations for Spring 2025, leaving $50,000 available for special programming, according to The NewsHouse. The $50,000 was allocated quickly, and less than a month into the semester, SGA sent an email to all RSOs stating that all funds for the semester had run out.

Now, the budget is back to pre-COVID levels, but RSO student leaders are post-COVID students, many of whom are struggling to adjust to the change. This year, SGA significantly reduced the budget for UU’s performing arts series, despite the series hosting some of UU’s most popular events. Leach said this semester, SGA gave $350,000 in advanced semester allocations to RSOs.

The series has previously brought performers like Jake Shane, Joe Gatto and Jennette McCurdy to SU. Now, UU is augmenting the series with its supplemental budget, consisting of money built up from ticket sales over the years, McKenna said. McKenna said SGA cited insufficient attendance as the reason for decreasing funding, but these shows typically sell out Goldstein Auditorium, where they’re held. Leach, however, said the reductions were based on comparative attendance data.

“Cuts were necessary to ensure equity and sustainability. Since our resources are finite, we could not fulfill every organization’s full request. Allocating disproportionately large amounts to one organization would have disadvantaged others,” Leach said. “Attendance at student shows was lower relative to UU’s large-scale events.”

While UU, which has historically had a larger budget than other student organizations, felt greatly impacted, other RSOs took hits, and not just from SGA.

Since the budget cuts began, maintaining tradition—which is an important part of many student organizations—has been a point of concern for RSOs.

OrangeSeeds, a first-year leadership and community service program, sends about 38 students off-campus every Saturday of the fall semester to volunteer at local organizations like Rescue Mission and the Rosamond Gifford Zoo. OrangeSeeds relies on the Shaw Center’s free Saturday transportation service to take them there—or at least they did, until that program was defunded this semester.

Now, OrangeSeeds would have to pay for SU-provided transportation. Depending on how many students attend, one Service Saturday could cost anywhere from $530 to over $900, according to the Parking and Transportation Services transportation request process. Without free busing, OrangeSeeds is struggling to afford one of its main functions of teaching about leadership through off-campus community service, said OrangeSeeds assistant director Holly Klinger.

“We’re pretty much restricted to non-profit organizations near us, which is really hard because there’s not a lot, and Syracuse is not always the easiest place to walk,” Klinger said. “[Paying for transportation] is just not doable for us. We’ve gone to so many meetings trying to figure out anyone who can help us, any resources on campus that can help us, and it’s pretty much dead end after dead end.”

OrangeSeeds also readjusted to limited SGA funding last spring. OrangeSeeds submitted an advanced allocation form last fall to ensure proper funding for The Big Event in the spring, the largest student-run day of community service at SU. Traditionally, SGA funding has been used to rent Hendricks Chapel for the event, cater bagels and fund transportation. OrangeSeeds was denied SGA funding for Hendricks Chapel altogether and was instead encouraged to use a free campus space.

“With Hendricks Chapel, their mission of serving the community aligns very heavily with ours, so we like to utilize their space for the Big Event to promote community engagement and community service,” Klinger said, noting that starting the Big Event at the Chapel is one of OrangeSeeds’ foremost traditions.

Instead, the event began in a room on the top floor of the Schine Student Center, which is significantly smaller than Hendricks. With limited space, OrangeSeeds struggled to efficiently check in guests, provide catering and host the event the way they hoped. Klinger also noted it was hard for guests to see the speakers and the screen fully.

“I don’t think there was a very big emphasis on us as an organization,” Klinger said. “We were unable to have a space for people to interact, which was kind of a big deal to us because part of the Big Event is going out and doing service as an [SU] community, and there wasn’t a lot of space for people to go around, mingle, talk and learn about why people were there and whatnot.”

First Year Players (FYP), a theater organization for first-year and transfer students, is funded by SGA for costumes, props, set pieces, the rights for the show and booking Goldstein Auditorium— including the costs that come with using sound, lighting and other tech—according to FYP co-producer Mario Esteb.

Last year, FYP members were unprepared when their budget request wasn’t fulfilled, Esteb said. But they quickly got creative, thrifting costumes instead of ordering them on Amazon and building sets and props they traditionally would have bought.

This year, with the budget request due on Nov. 1, they’re prepared. In September, they hosted an FYP Thrift Shop event, earning over $1,000 to help pay for this year’s show reveal, a tradition in which FYP rents a room at a restaurant and club members reveal the show they will put on in the spring.

“Now we’re just more on our toes in the case that we might get our budget cut,” Esteb said. “Having little events here and there, and us seeing that we can make quite a bit of money from it, is a good thing. It’s honestly allowed us to think more creatively and have more fundraising events that we can control, because we can’t control the budget cuts. Regardless of whether or not it gets cut this year, we’ll be ready.”

Like FYP, in the wake of the budget changes, UU has tapped into its creativity. According to UU’s public relations co-director Lachlan Sartison, it's driven the organization to approach student engagement in new ways. This fall, UU, SGA and Greek Council collaborated on a new event called Harvest Fest in early October, bringing a farmers market, DJ competition, inflatables, games and food trucks to Walnut Park.

SGA has also introduced the lending closet initiative, in which student organizations can add and share supplies, like a photo booth for example, rather than each RSO buying the same materials with SGA funding. Their newest forum, “No Problem Too Small,” allows student organizations to share challenges and seek solutions.

There’s been some positive outcomes, but proper funding for student organizations is critical, Esteb said. He noted student organizations are far more than just extracurriculars, but rather places of expression where students can meet lifelong friends.

“I’ve learned more through the orgs I do on campus than the classes I take here,” Esteb said. “When we are given our budget, it allows us to have a creative outlet for what we want to do. A lot of our budget goes to the show itself, and we just want to give the first years and transfers that are in the show the best possible experience that they can [have]. It’s important as ever, especially for the arts, which we need more of.”