The Slippery Rock Student Government Association (SRSGA) announced a breakdown of the 2% tuition increase as well as cuts being made in the upcoming semesters after a meeting with the university’s Chief Financial Officer, Carrie Birkbichler.
During committee reports, Sydney Rezzetano, vice president of finance, presented the financial report that tuition itself will be raised $154, with an academic enhancement fee of $15 as well as a student activity fee of $8, bringing it to a total raise of $177 per semester. President William Behre will be presenting this proposal to the Board of Governors in Harrisburg as early as February of 2022.
Rezzetano added that “the university will be rebalancing” when it comes to cuts. This means that some departments have excess funds while others have less, and the university will be working on redistributing funding between the affected departments.
Liberal Arts Senator Amanda Brock gave a speech during the open forum regarding her thoughts on the current Rock Life Program being phased out of the offered programs on campus.
“I went to our president with 1,500 students behind me,” Brock said, “and he said that it was simply not enough. I’ve now come with 15,000 other students, and he still saying that it’s not enough. So, my question stands, what will be enough? What do Slippery Rock University students have to do to get him to realize that his actions have meaning and consequences?”
An announcement of a pay increase to $11 per hour for Aramark employees, effective immediately, was made by Education Senator Gabriel Stiles, chair of the ad hoc food service committee. Stiles said the committee was still working on making Aramark more sustainable with less Styrofoam usage, but due to a nationwide shortage of non-Styrofoam products, it is a goal that is still being worked towards.
The resolution to amend the SRSGA bylaw article VII was presented at the last formal meeting and was passed unanimously. The amendment was presented by the Rules and Policies Committee, and it dealt with dismissals, impeachment, and vacancies within the senate and made the bylaws clearer for all that the rules apply to.
The SRSGA will be holding its formal meeting next Monday, Nov. 29. More information can be found on their CORE page.
