Raising tailgate funds from $0 to $20,000 is just one of the ways the 2012-2013 Student Government Association budget differs from the 2011-2012 budget.

The funding for student tailgating next semester will fulfill a campaign promise by SGA President Brent Folan that there would be SGA-sponsored tailgating with the university joining the Big 12 Conference.

The budget, which the House of Student Representatives approved April 3, is the largest budget in SGA history at $690,000, SGA Treasurer David Belpedio said. Next year’s budget is $50,000 larger than this year’s budget of $640,000.

The student fee will continue to be $45 per semester, making a total of $90 for the year, Belpedio said.

One of the biggest changes in the budget was an increase in funding for the executive branch, increasing from 11.34 percent of this year’s budget to 17.87 percent of next year’s.

Belpedio said the reason for this was because the Holiday Tree Lighting and other annual holiday activities, such as the lighting around campus, were being covered in the budget as a gift from SGA to the student body. This increase in the executive budget also included the $30,000 allocated to the holiday tree, he said. 

One of the new items included in the increased funding for the executive was $4,000 for a student organization presidents’ dinner. The money was put under the section for the SGA Vice President of External Affairs. Belpedio said the dinner would be held so the presidents of student organizations could better understand what SGA is for and how SGA could help them with funding.

There was also a residual line item, or savings line item, that took the place of the concert funding since the university would sponsor the annual concert and other activities, rather than SGA, Belpedio said.

Other changes in the new budget included increased compensation for members of the executive branch and increased funding for House member rewards.

SGA 2013 Budget (Text)