tl20031113-000 "all, ead fact ieve is a ger. ie is a ian-the vet-earn sea-lave ords igan they the ill it zzilli they ?, an 1 the 1 an and ndle reer, from fol-ng a the 3t 19 first-rend :cher ex-lind, r the -rent sec-have Ledia onx. Loth-nust 'uses r the ball ball om- .. At vhat Eli is lieve out ions I the peti- Thp TOiliprillphb Baltimore's #1 College Paper - Published Twice-Weekly - www.thetowerlight.com Thursday, 11/13/03 Ravens' surgeon reviews career 5 Via satellite, Gore talks democracy 5 Production looks at biracial family 13 Realistic 'Master' captures viewers 14 Departments Opinion 2 News 5 Nation 6 Campus briefs 8 Police Blotter 8 Cuisine 9 Arts 13 Now Showing 14 Sound bites 15 Sports 20 In this corner 20 Punt, Pass, & Pick 18 lassifi ds 1 SGA group funding falls $501{ Student leaders voice concerns over Spring semester budgets Sarah Breitenbach The Towerlight In order to compensate for what Student Government Association President Bobbie O'Connell calls a ""tight budgeting position"" the SGA will allocate substantially less funding for TU's 40 or so student groups for next semester. O'Connell, a senior finance major, explained that on the whole student groups will be allocat-ed approximately $90,000, which is about $51,000 less than groups received for the current Fall semester. After attributing budget problems in part to past SGA administrations and spending practices, O'Connell said the task of creating an SGA budg-et has become more difficult and the number of student groups seeking funding has increased in recent years. ""Groups [may have been] overly funded in the past, and we're getting repercussions now,"" she said Monday afternoon. ""Three years ago we only had 20 organizations that we [budgeted for]...[now] we're funding twice as many student organizations."" � Money used to fund the SGA and student groups comes from the student activities fee that TU undergrads pay in addition to tuition each year. David Harnage, senior vice president and chief fiscal officer for the University, explained that each student currently pays $60 per academic , year enrolled as a full time undergraduate stu-dent. The amount has remained at $60 for the past three years and possibly longer, Harnage said. ""All of the revenue collected through this fee is directly allocated to the SGA,"" he said. ""No part of the revenue from the fee is used by the University."" In hopes of increasing funds for next year's budget, O'Connell said she proposed a $16 increase to the student activities fee for the 2004- 2005 academic year. She said the proposal has been passed by Towson University and the University System Board of Regents and will go into effect July 1, 2004. Harnage explained that changes in the annual revenue of the SGA are associated with enroll-ment changes. ""In other words, if full time undergraduate enrollment increases, revenue will increase. Likewise, if full time undergraduate enrollment decreases, revenue will decrease,"" he said. However, O'Connell said that enrollment really is ""not going up."" While the University has received more applications in recent years, the money generated from student activities fees has not increased significantly enough to impact the SGA's budget, she said. O'Connell said the decrease in funding is par-tially a result of last year's SGA, which allotted nearly $141,000 for student groups for the Fall 2003 semester. After planning for the executive See BUDGET, page 7 Finding inner peace in morning labyrinth meditation Saul Stauganke/The Towerlight Laura Brecht, the University's Episcopal chaplain, meditates in the center of a labyrinth on the third floor of the University Union Tuesday morning. The Episcopal Campus Ministry invited participants to walk through and clear their minds, let go, and meditate on the circular path. Today High 52 Low 30 Friday High 48 Low 33 Saturday High 53 Low 35 Sunday High 56 Low 38 Monday High 60 Low 47 "
