The Students’ Association approved a budget for student organizations at about $500,000 at its Monday, April 11 meeting. Senators dealt with a $63,000 cut in the budget from last year.

None of the organizations supported by SA received the total requested amount by the organization. Some organizations didn’t get any money while others received half the amount they requested.

Corey Chicoine, a former SA senator and 2016 Hobo Day grand pooba, addressed the Senate during the meeting about the cut the Hobo Day Committee received. The committee had requested $9,000 but received about two-thirds at $5,796. This only covers 14 percent of the Hobo Day Committee’s total budget, Chicoine said.

Chicoine recommended SA set budget criteria to make it easier to work with cuts. He also suggested that budgets be based on success of events or student involvement rather than fairness.

SA’s part of the budget received the largest monetary cut of about $39,000. The Senate’s speaker fund and new venture fund didn’t receive any money at all. This means the Senate’s budget will be about $50,000 next year.

As the last Senate meeting of the semester, the 2016-17 SA senators and executive board members were sworn in. Next year’s president and vice president, Ally Helms and Lane Speirs, were also sworn in.

The Senate passed eight other items on its agenda Monday night.

Ordinance 15-05-O was passed by the Senate, saying that if changes to the Student Federation weren’t made by Oct. 4, 2016, then SA would disaffiliate from the representative body. Many senators wanted ideological and financial changes be made to the Student Federation so SDSU would get more representation on the body but with less of a financial obligation.

Senators thought giving a deadline for the Student Federation to work with would help push the changes the SDSU SA supported.

Although the resolution passed, some senators were concerned about being part of the organization. Sen. Alex Powell said if it takes SDSU threatening to leave the Student Federation to make changes, then he was concerned about SDSU’s representation on the body.

Joe Shartz, a student representative for the South Dakota Board of Regents, talked to the Senate about why it was important for SDSU to stay involved in the Student Federation.

“I feel like SDSU leaving the Student Federation is akin to the United States leaving the UN,” Schartz said.

Other resolutions passed by the Senate included:

➜Resolution 15-26-R: SDSU SA ask that ARAMARK consider offering more, less expensive meal plans

➜Resolution 15-27-R: SDSU SA support for replacing the bathroom faucets in Rotunda

➜Resolution 15-28-R: SA support for adding lactation-designated rooms at SDSU

➜Resolution 15-29-R: In solidarity with the marginalized students, staff and faculty at SDSU

➜Resolution 15-30-R: Repainting the road and parking markings at SDSU

➜Resolution 15-31-R: SA support for enhanced maintenance and removal of low-hanging tree branches over sidewalks on campus

➜Resolution 15-32-R: SDSU SA Declaration of Thursday, April 28, 2016 as Chicoine’s Mustache Day.

A $2,000 special allocation to KSDJ was also passed by the Senate to support its May Day Music Festival.