Samuel Douglass
Equinox Staff
This Tuesday Keene State college student assembly met with Vice President for Finance and Planning Dr. Jay Kahn as well as the student organization Eco-Reps.
Kahn handed out a rough draft of the financial affairs trustees guidelines for the fiscal year of 2017. Kahn addressed the issue that currently Keene State College is in a rough financial position since enrollment has dropped since the events of Pumpkin Festival last year.
“Are departments are currently right now 2.5 percent in the hole” stated Kahn.
The handouts given to the student assembly highlighted two possible financial models to deal with the current financial state.
The first model explained by Kahn would require next year’s Keene State freshman class to at least consist of 1,150 students enrolled. If enrollment did hit the 1,150 mark mandatory fees for incoming freshman would be increased only 2.5 percent to compensate for this year’s low enrollment. To give an idea of what that means this year’s freshman enrollment was 925 students.
The second model proposed was in case the incoming freshman class does not reach the desired 1,150 enrolled students. In this case mandatory fees would have to rise by five percent to cover last years drop in enrollment.
Going forward with the guidelines given to the student assembly Kahn advised that the assembly coordinate which departments they want to meet with to discuss budgeting for next year.
“I believe it would be in the best interest to invite every department that is showing a 2.5 percent increase to meet with the assembly, that would be four per night for our last two meetings” said Student body President Bobby Graham.
The student assembly agreed to meet with the eight departments showing a 2.5 percent or greater budget increase in the final two assembly meetings this semester.
Next on the agenda the student assembly heard a presentation from the student organization Eco-Reps which promotes education on sustainability on Keene State campus.
Eco-Reps introduced their future goals to ban plastic water bottles on campus. They highlighted possible future events such as a screening of the documentary “Tapped” in the night owl cafe.
“We are still in the advocacy stages but we came here today to make contacts and branch out to the student assembly on how they feel about the program” said Scott Criscuolo member of the Eco-Reps e-board.
“I am personally for the idea but I am a little skeptical about the Pepsi contract that the school has, if it would affect the Pepsi grants that some departments rely on or the pepsi scholarships that some students rely on” student assembly member Tanner Semmelrock said.
In the upcoming meetings student assembly will be meeting with Keene State departments as well as student organizations about budgeting for next year.
