The Tempe Undergraduate Student Government released a memo to student organizations on March 26 announcing that pending and future funding requests from the ASU student body would be formally denied for the remainder of the semester.
The announcement came two days before the official deadline for budget requests, which was March 28. It applies to all types of funding managed by the appropriations committee and its subcommittees, including funding for events, travel, professional development and general operations.
The total appropriations budget for the school year was $945,000. This number was expanded from the approximate $643,000 figure from the 2023-2024 school year after funding had been depleted by spring break.
This marks the second consecutive year funds have been spent before the deadline, forcing student organizations to seek out other monetary alternatives for events and operations.
Cayla Kirschbaum, a junior studying business, presidential candidate for USG-T and last year's director of finance, said raising the budget amount didn't solve the root issue. She also said the executive office needs to hold the appropriations committee more accountable because, for many of them, this is their first time handling such a large budget.
"When they don't have that accountability, they don't have that management and that effective leadership, it's very easy to fall short," Kirschbaum said. "That lack of oversight and accountability really showed how it's now becoming a consistent pattern."
Hashem Aljefri, a senior studying technological entrepreneurship and management, is president of SADIK: The MENA Students Union. He said he requested funding back in February for the event One Thousand and One Nights, which he expects to have around 3,000 students attend, but communication from USG-T has been stagnant.
"It was really hard to get a grip on how much we were going to actually be funded, since our amount is really large," Aljefri said. "But no one really told us, 'OK, this is the X amount you should request, and you will 100% be funded for, and then this is the X amount that we might be able to fund you, but it's uncertain.'"
Aljefri said his organization will receive $29,000 of the approximately $68,000 request he originally had pending with USG-T. He acknowledged that his organization asked for an especially large sum of money and that USG-T is under a lot of pressure to fulfill requests from hundreds of organizations.
However, he said there is a need for more efficient communication from USG-T members.
Hayden Nguyen, a sophomore studying management and business and a presidential candidate for USG-T, is the co-chair of Students for Justice in Palestine and emphasized that students need more communication and input regarding where their student fees go.
Nguyen also said the misallocation of funds and USG-T's priorities, specifically with allocating a lot of money toward merchandise, contributed to the shortfall.
"As somebody who's in charge of a club organization, who's trying to go through those purchase requests, it's already a very arduous process and going through that and then learning that there's not going to be any money at the end of it for your organization is I would say hurtful," Nguyen said.
Nathan Edlebeck, a junior studying business and a presidential candidate for USG-T, said adding a couple thousand dollars won't resolve the issue. He suggests increasing the appropriations budget to 50% of USG-T’s budget.
Edlebeck also said adding a director of funding as a USG-T position can be beneficial in helping manage the appropriations budget because there's only so much that one person can accomplish.
According to Edlebeck, numerous W. P. Carey School of Business student organizations have said they waited 30 to 60 days to hear back about their funding requests.
"If you hire on two or three people, that's 15 work hours every week whose sole responsibility will be responding to emails or to helping out students when they're trying to request funding, or planning their events," Edlebeck said. "Students will be able to go in and ask them questions in a one-on-one setting."
Edlebeck said USG-T delegates a large amount of money to the Programming and Activities Board, in order to fund big campus events such as InfernoFest and Devilpalooza.
Edlebeck also voiced concerns over USG-T directors being able to "cut the line" to get funding for their specific events, including his own movie night that he coordinated for students on the Tempe campus.
"While I think this event's going to be a really, really fun experience, and it'll benefit the student body and it'll be open to all Tempe students, I don't think my one event is any better than any other student's that they've been trying to plan," said Edlebeck, who was speaking as a presidential candidate and not a representative of USG-T.
"So I think that it's unfair I was able to cut in front of everyone just by being a director."
READ MORE: Meet the five candidates for the 2025 USG-T presidential election
When asked for comment, USG-T President Mason DoVico referred to the memo released to student organizations. USG-T presidential candidate Brandon Ngo did not respond to a request to comment and USG-T presidential candidate Rishik Chaudhary declined to "provide an official statement to the press on behalf of USG as a Senator."
Kirschbaum and Edlebeck both emphasized that the relationship between students and USG-T needs to be improved, as many students aren't aware of funding opportunities for clubs or may not have had a positive experience with the student government.
"You'll hear a lot of tickets talk about ... how their goal again is to expand the appropriations committee and minimize student fees," Kirschbaum said. "But without any strategic or accountable plans, it's the same as how in your elementary school campaigns you'd promise chocolate milk in the water fountains and extra recess time."
Edited by George Headley, Sophia Braccio and Alysa Horton.
Reach the reporter at katrinamic03@gmail.com and follow @katrinamichalak on X.
Like The State Press on Facebook and follow @statepress on X.
Katrina is a junior studying journalism. This is her fifth semester with The State Press. She has interned with The Arizona Republic and is currently a digital reporter with Cronkite News.
