Ignis
By Randy Espares Jr., Editor-in-Chief

Student organizations are what I consider as the most valuable asset of any university. So when these groups do not receive enough recognition and budget, it speaks on how truly ‘student-centered’ an institution is, especially when it results in student-leaders grappling with each other for a possible budget increase. 

They say money makes the world go around, and to some extent it is true. We use it to fuel almost everything, from the food we devour to the places we rent, with some even going lengths to increase the cash they earn. In a school organization setting, budget is crucial as you cannot implement projects and join competitions if you do not have enough funding. So when the abolishment of TAMS2 and Gawad Kalinga opened a 10-peso budget that could be reallocated to student organizations in Far Eastern University (FEU), accredited student-led associations immediately went to work in hopes to evenly divide and get their cut. 

FEU Congress held several meetings and budget hearings last November that almost lasted a week involving the FEU Central Student Organization (FEUCSO), Institute Student Councils, and Uni-wide Organizations to evaluate on how they shall distribute the 10 pesos. 

Even FEU Advocate, the official student publication of FEU Manila, was involved in the hearing in spite of Republic Act (RA) No. 7079, or the ‘Campus Journalism Act of 1991,’ stating that the editorial board “shall freely determine its editorial policies and manage the publication's funds.”

This is also due to the fact that the publication’s fee is part of the 150 pesos that students pay under the organizational fee. That amount goes through FEUCSO before going to the student-led paper. A stark contrast to RA 7079’s Section 5 that reads, “subscription fees collected by the school administration shall be released automatically to the student publication concerned.”

During the meetings, various student-leaders presented their General Plans of Action, achievements, and justification on why they deserve a raise in budget. Hearing all those plans was heartwarming since all organizations have one goal in mind: To serve and make the Tamaraw community proud. 

However, disagreements were bound to happen. The 10 pesos in hindsight would be a small piece of cake to cut for the 32 accredited organizations on campus. 

Weighing which organization deserves a bigger budget increase was proven to be a difficult decision. Because all organizations deserve to have the chance to better themselves, no organization is better than the other since every group’s purpose varies. One thing should remain though, and that is their dedication to serve fellow students. 

Up until now, meetings are being held about who shall get what percentage of the 10-peso budget reallocation. This has led to students scrutinizing each organization as well as their projects and contribution to the University, which also causes further division amongst student-leaders. In the face of limited budget, we shall set aside these differences, and instead unite to demand the University to provide ample support towards student organizations—because, after all, we are the ones carrying FEU's name outside the green-and-gold campus. 

Take for example some students who spend their personal money for organizational work. Additionally, other student-led groups borrow money from FEUCSO in order to launch their event or send members to join competitions both locally and abroad. 

FEU Oratorical and Debate Council (ORADEC), despite receiving accolades locally and internationally, has been struggling due to their limited budget. 

ORADEC member Mark John Cabangangan detailed how vital competitions are for their group since sending less than two teams to the main tournaments they participate in revokes their charter status.

“Instead of executing these goals, we spend more time looking for partnerships just so we can participate in competitions or through soliciting. Without adequate funding, members are forced to shoulder additional costs personally,” he shared. 

However, demanding an increase in the budget from the administration is not easy. The word ‘increase’ already irks both the students and admin’s ears when it comes to tuition and other miscellaneous expenditure. It is something that both parties want to avoid as much as possible when concerning fees. 

And to “demand” something, we have to prove ourselves we are worthy of an increase. Which is why the responsibility of accountability, transparency, and quality of work should always be kept in mind by elected student-leaders. 

Until then, we have to undergo the grueling process of scrutinizing each other to know which organization is most deserving to get an increase, even if it means that other student-led groups might not get the same piece of the cake. 

(Photo by Gwyneth Mendoza/FEU Advocate)