BSG budget runs overboard

By Amanda Seef
NEWS EDITOR

Photo by Janelle Weber, PHOTO EDITOR

The $96 Brockport Student Government mandatory fee that each SUNY Brockport student pays twice a year is the backbone behind funding many organizations, clubs and events on campus, but a new college policy and a look at the budget show that the return on the investment in programming is slowing toward a stop.

BSG’s programming department started off the year with a budget of $240,000, but is currently left with slightly more than $54,000.   The drop has remained steady with events such as Brock-tober Fest and Wanda Sykes’ performance running up high costs with little return on revenue.

A major change by the administration has strained the programming department’s ability to bring in revenue from larger events. The new event policy, which became effective in January 2007 and is enforced by the Office of Campus Life, states that “concerts and/or parties may not be designated as open events; such events may only be designated as ‘intercollegiate’ or ‘campus.’”

The new rule exceptions include educational, athletic and fine arts events. These events may be publicized through avenues such as newspaper, radio or other public advertising routes off Brockport’s campus. Intercollegiate events require attendance to be limited to only students with valid college-issued identification.

Selling tickets has become limited to on-campus, available in the BSG box-office, and has not allowed selling tickets through online venues such as Ticketmaster.com. However, the closed-event policy has pushed BSG programming for Brockport students, and only Brockport students.  Also, event policy states that students with a valid student ID can attend the event, and Brockport students are allowed to bring one guest from the public.

“The [event policy] is maintaining safety and security for all students at events that happen on campus,” Director of Campus Life Kim Haines said.

The Wanda Sykes stand-up comedy performance during Homecoming Weekend in September incurred costs totaling nearly $50,000, but profits from ticket sales to the event returned only $8,000. Brock-tober Fest, the October concert headlined by Augustana and Mat Kearney, held a similar profit earning, with revenue totaling much less than what was spent on the event.

Events open to the public have been successful, as Nightmare on 19 became the most successful haunted house in BSG history. More than 1,200 students and members of the Brockport community went through the haunted house during the two-week event.

In comparison to last year the programming budget is very small. In 2006-07, the BSG administration headed by Frank Guidice was able to “pull” funds from other accounts, bringing in an additional $163,000 on top of the $210,000 budgeted for the account. The account had a deficit at the end of the year, spending a total of $578,000 on programming. This year’s administration faces issues stemming from not having those extra funds to put into the budget. 

“There will not be any cuts in programming,” President Darnell Pierce said.  “We will program to the max.  We will try and make every effort to stay in the level and quality of programs as in the past.”

Decisions about the traditional spring concert have not been made at the time of print.

As for other programming, Rock The Vote, Airbrush Trucker Hats, Drag Show Bingo and other miscellaneous events have  had attendance with more than 100 students per event.  The BSG-sponsored night for Some Girl(s) was the largest turnout ever to a night in the Tower of Fine Arts.  The admission price is lowered for the events, with a part of the admission being paid by the patron, and the remaining portion paid for by BSG. 

Also this year, to boost student participation, BSG has enacted an interactive, online version of Brockport IDOL.

“By creating the online voting system, we have been able to branch out to new numbers of students,” Programming Assistant Evan Brengel said. “We have really put the choice of who will be the next Brockport IDOL in the hands of the students, since it is their money that we are using to put on this program.”

While BSG tries to disperse the mandatory fee equally, Brockport students may have to wait until next year for another concert.

Mandatory Fee: Where it goes

The mandatory fee covers much more than entertainment, but issues about costs spread all around the budget.

Brockport Student Government’s professional staff is compensated well above those at other institutions. BSG’s secretaries, including the office administrator and the business manager, each earn more than $47,000 annually on salaried pay, plus vacation pay and shorter hours in the summer. The pay to those workers towers over the national average salary for American secretaries by more than $16,000.

Also, the board of director’s secretary retired at the beginning of the year, replacing the previous salary with a student stipend. This brings the number of professional non-student staff members to three, although BSG by-laws require four non-student staff members on payroll, as stated in Chapter 7, section 6 of the by-laws.

BSG’s executive staff also receives a comparatively high compensation, despite a recent self-imposed decrease in pay. President Darnell Pierce earns a yearly salary of $10,000, with the vice-president Randall Franklin and treasurer Kyle Amendola each earning $8,000 annually. In recent years, the salary of executive staff has been much higher, beginning with the adminstration of Vince Felder in 2001. 

Universities with higher enrollments and larger budgets pay their student government officials much less than Brockport. For example, Arizona State University pays their executives $4,800 annually to serve 64,000 students.

Promotions receives $20,000 of the budget, covering printing expenses and other fees. The promotions department is in charge of advertising and promotion of BSG funded events.

Club sports, academics, fine arts and other extra-curriculars have long been a tradition of the college and learning experience, and BSG is responsible for completely or partially funding the majority of these, as well. For example, The Stylus is funded by BSG for 43 percent of the operating expenses, wages of editors and programming expenses such as printing and delivery. The radio station is also partially funded by BSG, with 91 percent of the contributions toward operations coming from the government.

Midnight movies, a new University Police escort vehicle and all clubs’ budgets are also funded by the collection of the mandatory fee.

BSG is unlike many other colleges and universities’ student governments, in that they are separate from the Office of Campus Life.  The office is a part of the Division of Enrollment Management & Student Affairs, whereas BSG is a separate entity.  All funding for the government comes from revenue and student fees.  BSG allocates an amount of the yearly budget to campus life to assist with funding of their own programming and events, but the majority of the happenings on campus are through BSG. 

Campus Life is responsible for major campus events, such as Homecoming, Family and Welcome Weekend, as well as management of the Seymour College Union.  The office also advises fraternities, sororities and BSG, as well as many other duties. 

The mandatory fee is voted on every year by students in April, at the same time as executive candidates are elected.  The inclusion of the fee on the student bill is a privilege for the college and allows for many programs and events to take place on the campus.