Representatives from student government associations college-wide visited the District Office to make presentations about the student budget to President Bill Law on Friday, July 20, 2012.
The college’s student government associations (SGA) have earmarked money from their 2012-2013 budgets to support two plans for students, one that will provide personal counseling and another that will offer Microsoft Office programs for their personal computers.
Representatives from the college’s campuses outlined their budgets for President Bill Law, Tonjua Williams, Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs, and other SPC representatives at a meeting earlier in July.
Under Law’s leadership, the college allocated 25 percent of the funds from student activities fees. This is the second year student leaders have been involved in the budget process and the development of activities offered to the student body at various SPC campuses.
SGA associations are responsible for more than $1.3 million in the upcoming fiscal year, which is based on projected enrollment figures, according to college officials. That figure was divided among the student government groups based on the student semester hours at each location.
The college allotted each student government group the following amounts:
Allstate Center – $40,998
Caruth Health Education Center – $133,800
Clearwater Campus – $282,266
EpiCenter – Baccalaureate – $70,917
Seminole Campus – $196,622
SPC Downtown – $71,766
SPC Midtown – $12,665
St. Petersburg/Gibbs Campus – $302,060
Tarpon Springs – $206,812
Each student government association allocated its funding to match the unique needs of its campus and student population, student government representatives explained during their presentations. The Allstate Center, for example, opted to put money toward one-on-one “lunch n’ learn” events with various charitable organizations in the community and a new barbecue grill for cookouts. SPC Downtown will spend $20,560 to help employ a student life assistant and $8,000 to educate students on cultural diversity through activities linked to Hispanic Heritage Month, Fine Arts Day and Black History Month.
Common expenditures for the eight home campuses involved funding for the BayCare Student Assistance Program and the Florida Community College Microsoft Partnership.
The BayCare program offers expanded support services and counseling for students in addition to training for faculty and staff in dealing with student concerns and assistance after incidents that would impact students college-wide. For example, students will be able to have three counseling sessions a year through the program.
The Microsoft partnership provides programs for students that they can load on their own personal computers. Through the partnership, students will be able to use the same technology platforms at home as they do at the college.
Both programs will launch by the start of the fall semester.
Before the presentations, Law spoke to student government members about the opportunity and responsibility that’s provided by managing the budgets. Law told the group they shoulder the burden of student leadership that can be both rewarding and frustrating. But, by overseeing budgets for the different campuses, they would be gaining valuable experience as well as helping benefit the thousands of students their organizations represent.
Dwayne-Ron Sharpe, 21, president of the Clearwater Student Government Association, said working with the budget was at times tedious and difficult as group members determined how to allocate the money. But, he said, that it overall was “a good process” and “a good learning experience.”
