Deb Coffin, CU’s Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, announced Thursday that her office will put a freeze on increases in student group funding allocation.
As a result, the Student Group Funding Board will not be allowed to give student groups more money this academic year, and CUSG is prevented from voting for an increase in the board’s budget.
The student group had a funding balance that was supposed to last for eight years and was consumed in two, Coffin said. CUSG had been considering a $300,000 increase in SGFB’s budget, to be paid for with student fees, until Coffin ordered the freeze.
“I felt like we had to step in and intervene,” Coffin said. She emphasized that CUSG’s budget process is not being taken over, just one aspect of it.
Coffin said her office’s goal is to have a workable solution in place by the fall.
“We’re very concerned about how that’s going to affect student groups,” she said.
Money already allocated will not be frozen, Coffin said. SGFB funding allocation had already stopped for the academic year when Coffin announced the freeze.
“It’s my responsibility as the person overseeing student affairs to do everything in my power to protect students,” Coffin said.
She will make sure SGFB has enough money to function next year.
“If we need to get temporary money, we’ll work to figure out how to get that,” Coffin said.
Contact CU Independent Breaking News Editor Sam Klomhaus at Samuel.Klomhaus@Colorado.edu.
