Student groups will be denied funds due to vote

TO THE EDITOR:

We are very disappointed that the UNC student body did not vote to increase a student fee during last Tuesday’s election.

Students were given the opportunity to increase the student organizations fee by $6, and they chose not to do so.

We understand that this hike might seem steep to students, but we wish that students had considered this $6 increase as a way to add to their UNC experience and not just as money taken out of their pocket.

It is important to continue to fund valuable programs, speakers and events that student groups hold on this campus every year, and the student organizations fee is created for this purpose.

This past weekend, the Student Congress finance committee heard the requests of more than 150 student groups requesting money for the upcoming year to support their programming and financial livelihood. There were so many groups who had excellent plans for the new year, but it was disheartening to tell everyone that we only had $365,000 to distribute to student groups who requested over $900,000.

By choosing not to raise the student organization fund, the students have essentially brought this disappointment on themselves. We hope that students take this viewpoint into consideration the next time they attend an event held by a student group or the next time they vote on student organization fees.



McKay Roozen
District 2 Representative
Student Congress

Lee Storrow
District 6 Representative
Student Congress