Of all the colleges in Colorado, students at Colorado Mesa University (CMU) have some of the most authority in directing how their student fees are spent on student organizations.
As of Fall 2022, Mavs owe $37 per credit hour in student fees, the lowest cost across the state. This is subject to change during CMU’s 2022 Biennial, where the Associated Student Government (ASG) and the Board of Trustees will audit and alter current student organization budgets. Moreover, the Board of Trustees is able to increase student fees at any time.
Unlike on-campus clubs, student organizations typically require more commitment from their members in order to consistently host informative events, provide entertainment, inform Mavs and perform other necessary and expected duties. From the Cultural Inclusion Council (CIC) to MAVrides and Horizon Magazine, CMU is home to 20 student organizations.
Because these organizations are entirely funded by student fees, they are required to revise their budget every two years. These revised budgets undergo an intricate review known as the Biennial, which determines organization budgets for the next fiscal year.
“[The budgets reflect] what [the student organizations] feel will benefit them in the future, because it won’t affect their organization right now, but it will affect their numbers [later],” ASG President Cy Shimamura said.
Before the Biennial begins, organization leaders meet with the director of Student Life, the ASG President and ASG’s Chief Financial Officer to discuss the feasibility of their revised budgets. This preliminary meeting is intended to answer any students’ questions and make the process as painless as possible.
During the Biennial, student organization leaders present their revised budget to ASG’s House of Representatives. This gives organization leaders the opportunity to personally explain and defend individual aspects of their budget. The House, which is also entirely composed of students, then makes their decision based on an accumulation of input from fellow Mavs.
“The biggest [factor in the Representatives’ decision] is reaching out to the constituents [to see if the budget] will support a lot of students on campus,” Shimamura said. “That’s how they [decide] how they want the Biennial to go, and once they see an organization’s budget, they will go onto voting. So, they vote: yes, we’re in favor, no we want to cut it or we want to amend it to reflect a certain amount of money.”
These constituents are often ASG senators, as many of them represent a specific major or academic department. These senators are responsible for reaching out to their respective departments and gaining an understanding of their constituents.
After the House settles on a final budget, ASG’s Senate reviews the House meeting’s minutes and the new, overall budget. If the Senate does not pass the budget, it goes to the Conference Committee, which is composed of two senators and two members of the House.
Once the budget has been passed, it is reviewed once again by the ASG President before getting its final student approval. In the end, the President and the Student Trustee present all of the organizations’ budgets to CMU’s Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees are the only non-students involved in the Biennial process, and although they have the conclusive vote on these budgets, they have historically approved them without issue.
As of Nov. 27, the 2022 Biennial budgets are currently under review by the Senate, and Shimamura, alongside Student Trustee Evan Piper, plans to present the budgets to the Board of Trustees in February 2023.
“I think it’s very unique that the student government and all the students have access to these budgets, and it’s really special because we’re in charge of overseeing everything,” Shimamura said. “It’s in our control.”
