By Kiersten Hacker
The University of Maryland Student Government Association allocated more than $400,000 to programs and services to support students who continue to navigate through difficulties caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
Due to unforeseen circumstances in the spring 2020 semester as well as years of accounting errors by the university, there was a surplus of funding, according to Dan Alpert, the outgoing SGA president.
“The reality is that we had a surplus still, so we did what we believed was best to do with that surplus,” Alpert said.
The funding will be distributed between a variety of services including the Campus Pantry, the Student Crisis Fund, the University Health Center, programs for first-generation and low-income students and post-COVID-19 student engagement.
An additional $300,000 was also pledged to student groups in the future, bringing SGA funding that supports students in the campus community to a total of over $1 million. During the fall 2020 semester, the SGA allocated $410,249 to assist students during this unprecedented time.
Out of the $407,540 allocated this semester, $300,740 will go to the Campus Pantry. The funding will create 17 student jobs and allow the pantry to expand its operation hours, leading to increased access in the face of food insecurity.
The Campus Pantry will receive the most funding, followed by the Student Crisis Fund, which will receive $50,000. Financial assistance from the Student Crisis Fund has been crucial for students now more than ever, and the $50,000 will add to the $300,000 provided by the SGA in the fall.
As the SGA continues to make progress on their areas of focus, they have also allocated $6,700 to assist first-generation and low-income students, one of the governing body’s areas of focus.
The $6,700 allocated to students in this group will help fund a new summer program that provides guidance and workshops to students. The program will also create 30 student jobs with the funding.
“Supporting first-generation, low-income students has been a priority of our student government, especially this year. The Campus Pantry has been something the student government has worked on for many years in partnership with dining services, so they’re all things that are our priorities,” Alpert said.
In the fall, the SGA also allocated funding to a program to increase access to menstrual products. This round of funding now includes $16,000 to supply free emergency contraceptives at the University Health Center for the next two years.
Additional funding will go to innovative technologies to assist with students’ mental health through the Counseling Center and $20,000 for post-COVID-19 student engagement. The money for student engagement will be distributed to student groups and events to promote student connection on campus.
“I think it’s very important because I think a lot of times we are ungrateful for things we have that other people don’t have,” Kate Davenport, a freshman elementary education student said. “I have food security, but there are some people on campus who don’t, so I think this funding is good for the whole community to make a more positive environment and make people more comfortable.”
However, the SGA does not anticipate having a funding surplus in the future, according to Alpert. If not for the excess money and pandemic-related difficulties that students faced this year, these programs would not typically receive funding from the SGA, Alpert said.
Alpert also said that the SGA should not bear the responsibility of funding these programs, but the university should. The governing body has emphasized since the fall that if students can step up and provide this funding, so can the university.
Joseph Calizo, who presides over the student leaders, said, “It’s definitely one of the most fulfilling aspects of my work as assistant director of student activities at Stamp [Student Union]. I am particularly proud of what this year’s administration accomplished addressing student needs during the pandemic.”
The SGA’s announcement read that the organization is “overjoyed to announce this allocation” as the group works to assist students and move the university forward through areas of focus like mental health, food insecurity and financial assistance, among others.
“Obviously it was something we definitely were excited about and were happy that we were able to do,” Alpert said. “It’s putting a positive light on a difficult time and creating hopefully a butterfly effect from it as well, a strong positive butterfly effect.”
Featured image: SGA provides funding and support for student groups and organizations, many of which are located in the Adele H. Stamp Student Union. Photo by Kiersten Hacker.