The budget for the Undergraduate Government of Boston College (UGBC) is set at $327,976 for the 2017-18 year. This year’s budget is just $23 less than the 2016-17 year. The most notable budget increase is for the the Council for Students with Disabilities, which received $13,128, a $5,107 increase from last year.
The Executive Office has a $49,000 budget, which includes $12,500 for established programming, a $19,000 salary for the graduate assistant who aids UGBC, and the stipends that the executive members receive. The stipends remain the same as last year. Akosua Achampong, UGBC president and MCAS ’18, will receive $4,000. Tt King, UGBC executive vice president and MCAS ’18, will receive $3,500. Each of the vice presidents will receive a $2,000 stipend.
UGBC’s Diversity and Inclusion branch received the largest amount of funding, at $108,798. These funds will go toward the GLC Formal, ALC Ball, ALC Boat Cruise, and ALC Showdown, which are some of the largest events UGBC hosts.
The budget for Student Initiatives is $56,650, an increase of $1,349 from last year. Over $40,000 of the Student Initiatives budget will go toward new programming, which will include an event featuring former presidential candidate Ralph Nader this fall, as well as a women in politics event series, a succulent sale, FitFest, as well as several small-scale events.
The funding for the AHANA Leadership Council and the GLBTQ Leadership Council both decreased this year, after increasing for at least two years. Last year, ALC received $37,815. This year it will be allocated $35,735 to host guest speakers, embark on initiatives to connect international, commuter, and Woods College of Advancing Studies students, host a variety of events on campus, and attend retreats and conferences off campus.
GLC’s budget decreased by $1,750 to $27,465 this year. The budget will fund guest speakers, a town hall each semester, an alumni reception, and the annual Pride Week, among other events.
The Student Assembly will receive $5,000 this year to fund SA initiatives and shuttle buses during breaks. The Communications Division will receive $19,000 for promotional supplies and social events, including a new Valentine’s Day event.
The Student Organizations division will be given $3,550 this year. Operating expenses in this category increased this year because of an increase in the cost of the Student Involvement Fair. New student groups were added to the fair, causing it to become more expensive to hold.
“I think a good step forward in this year’s budget was looking at areas where money wasn’t spent last year and allocating that money to CSD,” said Colin Vergilio, UGBC vice president for financial affairs and CSOM ’19. “The division has been growing its presence on campus over the past couple of years, and the work they’re doing really resonates with UGBC’s mission of advocacy.”
Featured Image by Shaan Bijwadia / Heights Staff
