SA Senate Passes Eight Club Budgets

By Lucienne Burns | November 17, 2025

Chair Troy Serao and Vice Chair Jonah Martinez during the opening remarks of the Senate meeting. 

           Photo Credit: Lucienne Burns | The ASP

The Student Association (SA) Senate meeting last Wednesday (11/12) involved a lengthy legislative agenda, passing bills granting funding to eight organizations. 

Six clubs had their vote pass to attain a new and unfunded, including one penny allocation, and the remaining two had a bill on supplemental funding that passed the Senate. 

The clubs approved for new and unfunded budgets were Albany Outreach for Animals, the Latino Medical Student Association, National Black Law Students Association (NBLSA) Pre-Law Chapter, Society of Hispanic Engineers, Splat Syndicate, and a penny allocation for the Economic Student Association. 

Penny allocations are new and unfunded transfers of one cent, allowing clubs to meet consecutive requirements before they can apply for a larger amount of money. 

“This will fulfill the club’s second semester of consecutive funding,” Appropriations Committee Chair Nazar Yevko said, in regards to the bill of the Economic Student Association. 

Clubs approved for supplemental funding were Middle Earth Peer Assistance and the Digital Forensics Student Association.

The Middle Earth Peer Assistance requested and was approved for a larger amount of supplemental funding, totaling up to $2322.64, in order to accommodate travel to a conference the club typically attends. 

During committee reports Senator Carolina Thomas asked the Appropriations Committee if this funding, specifically out of the new and unfunded line, was for the whole year. 

Appropriations Chair Yevko mentioned utilizing transfers between different budget lines in the future. 

“Last year we did do line transfers, so that’s something we can do,” Yevko said, mentioning potential plans to utilize this practice next semester. 

As for the new and unfunded line, the Senate has spent approximately 43% of the initial $10,000 in the account. Out of the supplemental line, approximately 15% has been used of the $50,000 initially in that respective line. 

Despite the appropriations roll call bill failing last week, senators voted on legislation the way they would if the bill had passed. Each vote was conducted with a roll call, except for the penny allocation vote, which this bill expressed was an exception from the roll call, and could be passed by unanimous consent. 

President Trevor Pettit and Vice President Allison Mitchell were not present at this meeting, but sent their executive reports to respective senators to represent them and read aloud.