Funding for the Residence Hall Association may come from students, but even the president of the organization says the group's budget doesn't help all hall residents.
Instead, the budget of nearly $50,000 goes to help people involved in the organization and even includes a fund of $700 for executive board members to "go out socially."
"It's not directly affecting each and every resident," said RHA president Gidi Goldberg of the semester budget, which was passed unanimously last month.
Goldberg said two different funds totaling $1,200 – both labeled as "office improvement" funds – are used at the discretion of either the president or the executive board members and are often used for social events. Executive board members frequently use the fund to buy dinners and admission to movies.
A $500 fund is used for the president to take out hall council presidents for meetings.
"It's for anything the president decides he wants to use it for," Goldberg said.
The group has also set aside $5,000 for an end of the year banquet that is invite-only. Even though regular hall residents foot the bill, they aren't invited.
"All of the hall councils are invited," said Goldberg. He also said special guests make the exclusive list. Last year, 75 people attended the banquet.
The executive board also uses a $400 recognition fund to buy trinkets for those revered by RHA.
"It's for people who are doing things that benefit or promote RHA," Goldberg said.
The group will also spend $1,000 on a newsletter that is distributed to about 15 percent of hall residents and a promotional video for the organization.
Goldberg said the group is working with Channel 2 to put together the video, but the station's general manager said the video shouldn't cost a dime.
"We are providing our services for free," said Dave Klee, who said the two groups have had a good relationship for a long time.
Klee said the video – which RHA has been working on for five months now – will be three minutes long and will show RHA's benefits to the average resident.
RHA has budgeted $6,000 for leadership training for the hall council members, but individual residents are not invited to the training.
The programming budget of $8,000 is under the control of one person. The fund is used to organize capture the flag games and take RHA members to events around the Valley and use of the money does not require a vote.
Goldberg defended the idea that the budget only supports people in the organization.
"We're hoping that people we are rewarding will be RA's," he said. "We want people to know they will be rewarded."
