by Alec Williams

The fee allocations committee (FAC) of Colorado Mesa University approved a budget increase of $12,747 for CMU’s outdoor program (OP) on Friday, Sept., 23 as part of the biennial budget process for organizations.

The new budget will not take effect until next school year and still has to be approved by the associated student government in November.

The OP, established in 1976, is a campus organization that regularly offers outdoor activities, equipment rentals and classes. It continues to be one of the largest campus organizations in terms of budget and student participation and has requested the most funds out of all organizations during this biennial process thus far, specifically a $245,435 budget.

As this is a biennial year, organizations will meet with the FAC throughout the semester to present their case and request certain funding. CMU students and outdoor program office staff Nick Wright and Caitlin Goldstrom proposed the budget to FAC.

Ryan Dutch, who serves as thedirector of the outdoor program, answered questions from FAC members when needed. FAC members Tyler Fransen and Jacob Reimer proposed different amendments to the budget for lower costs, but those motions were failed by the other members of FAC.

The outdoor program will receive the $245,435 budget next year as the proposal was passed unanimously.

The hefty budget comes largely from employee salaries, insurance costs and other employee benefit expenditures which comes to a total of $161,813.

The organization is reasonably self-sustaining as they earn revenue through equipment rentals, which they offer to the general public, and earnings from sales from their t-shirts. Last year the organization earned $42,858 from rental fees.