NYU’s student government is getting a million-dollar raise next fall, and students want to know what they’re going to do with the additional funding. The student government currently receives a $300,000 operating budget, as well as university funding mediated by an annual proposal process, but it said this was not enough to address student needs on campus.

Jason Pina, the vice president for university life and global engagement said that previously, the student government would try to gather funding from departments that its proposals would directly affect. Some departments finalize their budgets as early as January, however, making it difficult for them to fund student government proposals later on in the year.

“It didn’t feel good to me that the very students who identified an opportunity — the students who are supposed to represent them — can’t make more progress in the current year,” Pina said. “If there’s a program we can do in September or October, let’s just do it. That way, the students know that you are responsive as a student government to their needs.” 

Tisch junior Caroline Matheson said she hopes that the student government will use some of its new money to create more mental health resources for students — and hire more therapists at the NYU Student Health Center. Matheson said that long wait times make it difficult for students to see a therapist on campus and get the support they need.

“Everyone I talk to, at some point in their career here, was miserable,” Matheson said. “Especially within the drama program, it’s really intense.” 

Therapist salaries in New York City vary from $51,000 to $115,000, according to Glassdoor. A current NYU Langone Health job posting for a therapist position lists the salary at $110,069, which would allow for less than 10 new therapists to be hired if the entire fund was put toward that purpose. 

The Student Government Assembly’s operating budget is put toward projects including Violet 100 programming, which entails concerts, games and merchandise. Other costs include that of meeting space in NYU buildings and food for student government meetings, according to Student Government Chair Ron Hall. Hall said the former operating budget was not enough to cover additional student needs programs, including funding for printers and menstrual products. 

“We’d be assessing, ‘What are the big things that students are asking for, and that students need,’” Hall said. “I really wouldn’t want all these to just be … one member comes up with an idea and then we say, ‘Cool, let’s throw a few thousand dollars at it.’ It’s more so that we want to ensure that this is driven by students, and we can provide our expertise and knowledge and our administrative point of contact.”

The $1 million Initiative Fund will be used for small-scale plans, tailored to student needs. The student government will allocate the funds by referencing data on how many students have requested or are in need of a service. The student government will also collect data on the efficacy of their new initiatives, which they hope will guide larger-scale projects they pursue in the future.

Gallatin sophomore Jane Organ hopes that the student government’s new fund will support the university’s dedication to recycling and composting, especially in student residences. Organ said that, in general, the university should have better recycling systems. 

“I’ve ranted about the lack of composting in dorms a lot,” Organ said. “I don’t understand why that’s not a thing.” 

Other students have bigger plans for the funds. CAS first-year Joseph Cantelmi said he would consider joining SGA when he heard it was receiving the initiative fund. He added that he hopes the student government will use the money to replace Cluckstein — a chicken shop at Upstein — with better chicken, perhaps from Popeyes.

“I’m looking to follow the money, so I suppose if there are a million dollars — I don’t wanna say up for grabs — if there are a million dollars there, you could make stuff happen,” Cantelmi said.

Contact Cora Snow at [email protected].