2022–23 IFC budgeting process begins after a late start

Mikayla Coleman| Managing Editor and Interim News Editor

On Feb. 2, the Incidental Fee Committee met to begin hearing budget presentations for the 2022–23 school year. Abby’s House, the Food Pantry, Childcare Services, WOLF Ride and the Creative Arts each plead their case on why their group’s budgets should either increase or stay the same as the previous year. 

After giving their respective presentations, there was a Q&A session with the heads of each group for clarification on key details that will be important to consider during the budgeting process. Some ideas discussed were the presence of graduate students and how much they use IFC funded programs; what resources exist for food disparity, lack of transportation and lack of childcare before the groups were created; and how often groups that fall under IFC allow students to get career-specific experience. 

The IFC at Western is made up of faculty, administrators and students. 

Out of these three categories, student members are the only ones that are able to vote. Students on the committee are either elected to serve via Associated Students of Western Oregon University elections or appointed by either the Student Body President or the Western President. 

The IFC process covers the budgeting for specific groups that contribute to student success at Western in many different areas. Student media, Abby’s House, the Food Pantry, ASWOU, Athletics, Campus Recreation, childcare services, Creative Arts, Student Engagement, Leadership, Student Activities and WOLF Ride all fall under the IFC umbrella and are funded through the incidental fees — usually around $350 – $400 per student — that are charged to students taking at least one credit hour at Western. 

With the immense challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic has presented in recent years, groups that are funded by IFC have been digging into a backup fund rather than generating revenue for themselves. It has worked as a part of the emergency response, but it is not a renewable resource and will eventually run dry. As a result of this challenge and enrollment at Western dropping by 11%, the overall IFC budget is expected to decrease. 

The next IFC meeting will be Feb. 9 in which head budget presentations will commence. Following the presentations, there will be an open forum for student input on Feb. 23 on Zoom in two sessions, 5 – 7 p.m. and 7:30 – 9 p.m. 

Contact the author at howlmanagingeditor@wou.edu