10% Committee’s Disbandment

10% Committee was created in 2015 to use ten percent of the student activities fee to complete campus improvement projects around campus. On Wednesday, September 4^th, some students were informed the committee will no longer exist despite being assured last semester that it would continue.

What Was 10 % Committee?

10% Committee was comprised of 2 students that were voted into serving on 10% Committee, Jonathan Davis (the previous Associate Dean of Students on the Lyndon campus), and the SGA Financial Controller. Together, this group would discuss the needs of the student body and what they can do with their budget to remedy any issues.

When 10% Committee was created in 2015, there was an excess in the student activities fee that wasn’t getting use each academic year. Because, at the time, there was no other budget within the university that served the purpose to fund campus improvements, an amendment was added to the SGA Constitution to create 10% Committee.

10% Committee also served as a way for students to bring concerns directly to the Dean of Students that didn’t necessarily require financial assistance, though this was mostly informal. 10% Committee’s creation did not mean that SGA could not fund campus improvement projects separately and, in fact, it seemed that SGA followed 10% Committee’s lead in funding more improvements for students. Some examples of this include the Vail fire pit, murals around campus, updates to the disc golf course, and more.

Some students may not be familiar with the number of things 10% Committee has done for our campus since its creation. The list is long, but some things include the charging tables in the ATT Lobby and student center, and the panini press in dining hall, the free feminine hygiene products in bathrooms, raised garden beds, the student food pantry, and a lot more.

Needless to say, 10% Committee put a lot of effort in taking care of our students and campus.

Who Was 10% Committee?

There were two people voted in to 10% Committee last year, Annie Walker and Ryder Klager. When The Critic asked them why they joined 10% Committee, this is what they had to say:

“I’ve always had a passion for helping out around the school in different ways… So, when I found out the 10% Committee was recruiting members, to me this felt like a great opportunity to put myself out there, help represent the students, and just make some really good change.” – Ryder Klager

 “I think what made me join was, I knew specifically Alex Huff was a part of it. She told me some of the things that 10% Committee would do, and how it directly affected our campus, and I wanted to be a part of that change when it came to our campus because I knew with some things it’s a struggle to get those things done when it comes to either SGA or just Res Life because they don’t have the budget for certain things.” – Annie Walker

These two felt that 10% Committee was important to our campus for multiple reasons, but their biggest reason was the ease it gave students to see changes happen on our campus. “It wasn’t ‘we have to go through other campuses or other higher ups to get things done.’ It just made students’ lives a little bit easier when it came to things,” says Walker. Any student could come to them with an idea for something that would make students’ lives a little bit better and it was heard and fixed quickly.

The founder and former advisor of 10% Committee was Jonathan Davis. When The Critic reached out for more details about 10%, this is what he had to say:

“I am saddened to hear about the disbandment of the 10% Committee. The students on the committee have been instrumental in shaping our campus life over the past decade, with their efforts leading to a host of physical campus improvements, equipment purchases, and sponsored programs that became strong campus traditions. Among so many other campus enhancements, the next time you fill your water bottle on campus, sit at a Veteran’s Park table, run on a treadmill in the fitness center, climb in the Gravity Well, attend Greggfest, gaze at the BLM/Pride flagpole, or make a waffle in the d-hall, remember the role the Lyndon SGA 10% Committee played in making it possible.

All of that said, change is good. Vermont State University-Lyndon is a remarkable and resilient community full of faculty, staff, and student leaders who will continue to think critically about our curricular and cocurricular offerings, ask good questions about how decisions are made, and contribute their time and energy to sustaining a diverse and socially just campus-based and online learning environment that we are all proud to be part of.” – Jonathan Davis 

Why Was 10% Disbanded?

Klager and Walker are upset at the news that 10% will no longer be on campus.

When The Critic asked Klager when this decision was made, he said, “I specifically asked ‘So, what is going to happen to the 10% Committee?’ and I was told very outright that the 10% Committee [would] still exist next semester. So, you can probably imagine my confusion and surprise when this semester starts, and I hear nothing from anyone and then at the end of the first SGA meeting, I go to ask Elizabeth Sousa ‘Hey, do you know anything?’ to find out it has been completely written out of the Constitution.”

Because there were projects in the middle of being worked on, Walker and Klager are concerned about what may happen to these projects or any new projects that may arise. “It’s really worrisome because if something else is needed, you know, what do you do? I’m sure there may be an option somewhere, but the majority of the school, specifically students, aren’t going to know,” says Klager.

The Critic met with Elizabeth Sousa, the Assistant Director of Campus Activities, to try and get clearer information about why 10% Committee got disbanded.

“From my interpretation and my understanding, the reason why we no longer have a 10% Committee is because of the new guidelines of the Constitution and the way the budget works now with CAB being a programming arm of SGA essentially… the split when we get our general fund money for SGA is going to be between SGA and CAB. They’re the ones specifically within the Constitution as to where we can distribute funds to,” Says Elizabeth Sousa.

Sousa also explains that all of the money that SGA, CAB, and 10% Committee did not use last academic year went into a big pot of money for the Lyndon campus to use. Its purpose is for the betterment of the campus and cannot be used by anyone outside of the Lyndon campus. There is not, at this point, an official name for this fund but it has been referred to as the “Rainy Day Fund” and the “Lyndon Campus Betterment Fund.”

What Happens Now?

Alex Huff, a former member of 10% Committee, says, “The work shouldn’t stop just because the group was disbanded.” And according to Sousa, it won’t stop campus enhancement projects.

The process, for now, is just different from when 10% Committee existed on our campus. Students can go to an SGA meeting and propose a use for the “Lyndon Campus Betterment Fund.” This would include how much their proposal would cost and a special link if possible. This information will let SGA compare price points and how long something may last on our campus, so it is important to be as detailed as possible. This proposal would then go to the Finance Board and, finally, the Senate. It is not clear if Senators from other campuses will also be voting on this.

Matt Patry, the Director of Student Activities, and Sousa are currently in the process to see if students could form a new 10% Committee. This may not include getting a budget, but students would potentially be able to meet and set up guidelines sort of like how a club functions on campus. The big difference would just be that any money requested comes from the “Lyndon Betterment Fund” instead of the general SGA fund.

However, students may be able to just form a committee instead of acting like a club, since the new constitution allows students to create committees. This may be more effective and may lead to “a more effective and faster way” to get approval for funds of projects.

Right now, there is no clear answer for 10% Committee while Sousa and Patry figure out what the new VTSU SGA Constitution allows the Lyndon Campus to do to keep this committee. Sousa does say that, in the meantime, students can still propose for funds to be used in any projects that were not finished by 10% Committee last year or if any new projects come up.