Activities & Organizations News

SFAC: Media organizations denied funding to major requests

The Student Fees Advisory Committee has released its funding allowances and suggestions for University organizations, including the Center for Student Media and the organizations within: The Cougar, Coog Radio and the Student Video Network.

The committee granted the Center for Student Media $62,000 in one-time funds and a base augmentation of $8,088.

SFAC granted neither of the budget increases CSM requested to cover shortfalls in advertising revenue, which involved either a $62,000 base augmentation as a short-term stop-gap measure to cover budget deficits or CSM’s preferred option, a $56,737 base augmentation to hire a “CSM Advertising Account Executive” and a one-time request of $50,380.

Instead, they “reluctantly” approved coverage for the $62,000 budget deficit, but only as a one-time request, with the additional warning that “the committee is unlikely to do so in the future.”

“SFAC is sympathetic to the quickly changing industry but encourages CSM to ensure it is innovating to stay relevant,” said the recommendations. “SFAC wishes to be extremely clear that we will not make a habit of covering budget shortfalls for this or any other group.”

The committee further recommended exploring a partnership with The Program for Excellence in Selling in Bauer to sell advertising instead of hiring a full-time staff member.

Similarly, The Cougar was denied a base augmentation request of $4,055 which would have gone toward a Community Manager staff position that a one-time fund increase for the 2015-16 year.

The SFAC committee also denied The Cougar’s $3,116 base augmentation request to increase marketing.

The committee did, however, approve The Cougar’s one-time request of $12,720 to be used for Cooglife Events.

“(The Cooglife events have) created an opportunity to collaborate more with SVN and Coog Radio in a way that we’ve never had to before. And because of this, we’re growing stronger as a center,” Glissette Santana, The Cougar’s editor in chief, said.

As for Coog Radio, which requested both a $10,158 budget augmentation for marketing purposes and a $28,289 one-time request for a spring concert, the committee granted no increases.

Rejecting the base augmentation request on the grounds of insufficient funds, the committee denied Coog Radio’s one-time request because “(a concert) does not fall within your mission and would be unnecessary duplication of other concerts and entertainment events.”

The Student Video Network faced similar scrutiny from the committee, which denied both a $11,787 one-time request to fund a film festival as well as a $11,710 one-time request for cameras and streaming equipment.

However, SVN was granted a $9,540 one-time request to purchase a photo booth.

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