Council of Organizations met Monday, March 10 at 7 p.m. for the fourth time this semester to discuss upcoming events.
Dumbledore’s Army announced they will host a Quidditch tournament and are looking for new teams. If anyone is interested in forming a team, they should email hpanewpaltz@gmail.com.
The student activity fee that all students must pay, which goes toward organizations and conferences, among other things, is currently $100. Senate is considering raising the Student Activity Fee by $5 or $10 to either $105 per semester or $110 per semester. If the fee is raised by $10, the budget will increase by $160,000.
Some voiced concern that an activities fee hike would be asking too much of students who are already financially burdened.
The point was then raised that other SUNY schools have been raising the fee ever since the cap was raised. SUNY Oneonta, for example, has raised their student activity fee twice in the past two years.
The money that would be added to the budget from the increased fee wouldn’t go to clubs on campus, but instead to other organizations like Oasis/Haven and other student services. The decision to raise the fee will be available to students online at my.newpaltz.edu which will coincide with Student Association elections in May.
Each year, at least 15 seats open up for SA. The bottom five seats, students who receive the lowest amount of votes, get semester seats and the rest recieve seats for the full academic year.
Programming board has one open seat. The board makes decisions on the money allotted to clubs and organizations who approach them for between $500 and $3,000.
Vice President of Finance Youssouf Kouyo, told the council that there is currently $1,529 in general programming and negative $2,970 in the conference account. However, there is $6,884 in the research grant account. Since it is the end of the semester, all the money probably will not be used, so two or three thousand dollars from the research account may be moved to the conference account.
“At the end of the day, we’re in pretty good shape,” Kouyo said.
The seat for vice president of finance will be available for next year since Kouyo is graduating.
The next Council of Organizations meeting is scheduled for April 7 and will focus on the Park Point housing project for students and staff.
[EDITOR’S NOTE] The Dumbledore’s Army of New Paltz email was incorrect and has since been changed.