The Students Association’s General Activity Fee (GAF) state of approval is expected from the Board of Regents by next week’s SA meeting.
Upon approval, changes made to the Fiscal Year 2026 Preferred General Budget include an increased allocation to student organizations. This excludes the School of Performing Arts and the Rabbit Ride program, according to SA Finance Chair Grace Peterson. The School of Performing Arts and the Rabbit Ride program will have their own allocation for credit hours through the Students’ Association GAF Plan.
In the case that the Regents does not approve the SA preferred general budget, the Fiscal Year 2026 Contingency General Budget will include both the School of Performing Arts and Rabbit Rides. Along with that, the budget includes a requested pull from the association’s reserve fund for $47,454.
“This request from our reserves is less than last year which was just under $60,000,” Peterson said. “We truly believe that this amount is appropriate for the circumstances this year and our reserve fund is sitting right around $370,000, so it is able to support this request.”
New Club Constitutions
In other news, two new clubs were approved at Monday’s meeting. For the first time in a few years, a sociology club is active on SDSU’s campus. The club aims to encourage socialization, help members become more involved in social sciences and develop professional skills. The Sociology Club plans on hosting weekly social events.
“We will be closely linked and associated with the Department of Sociology,” said the representative of the Sociology Club at Monday’s meeting.
The second club to be approved was the Jackrabbits Ducks Unlimited Chapter. This club is also being re-started. President Louis Seiler and Vice President John Sump are both juniors at SDSU. Seiler is a wildlife and fisheries major and Sump is majoring in rangeland ecology and management. Both Sump and Seiler were in attendance at Monday’s meeting and explained their goals for Jackrabbits Ducks Unlimited.
“We’re interested in getting this chapter started up again to not only help improve the conservation of these wetlands and grasslands that inhabit South Dakota, but also to get students a little bit more involved with one of the largest conservation organizations that is Ducks Unlimited,” said club president Louis Seiler, a junior wildlife and fisheries major.
The club hopes to help maintain and preserve ecosystems in the area. Meetings will be held on a weekly or semi-weekly basis and according to Seiler, they hope to host fundraisers. The money earned from such fundraisers will go to Ducks Unlimited, which is a nonprofit organization working to conserve, restore and manage wetlands and habitats for waterfowl in the United States.
Ex-Officio Reports
SDSU’s Black Student Alliance (BSA) is hosting a movie night in the Student Union Basement in collaboration with the Papua New Guinea Students’ Association on Thursday, March 27.
UPC Vice President, Alissa Maurer, said that UPC would hold an event on Wednesday, March 26, at 7 p.m. in the Volstorff Ballroom. The Mind Medler is being hosted, who is described as a magician and comedian.
