Student senators passed a resolution Thursday that would require NYU to publicly release annual financial statements — including departmental spending, as well as a breakdown of how tuition is used — if administrators approve it next fall.

Under the legislation, called “Resolution to Provide the NYU Community with Easily Understandable Financial Statements,” administrators would work with the Student Government Assembly’s Financial Affairs Committee to create yearly statements in plain language for students, faculty and alumni. SGA senator for student activists Calvin Kellenberger, who wrote the resolution, told WSN that he wanted student advocacy groups to better understand NYU’s budget when they ask for university policy changes.

“It was an issue that was coming up for groups when they would ask for things like expanding the Swipe It Forward program, expanding shuttle lines or something like that — sometimes that just wasn’t in the cards financially,” Kellenberger said. “I want to make sure that when they’re working on advocacy projects — especially when SGA is — that we’re working with real facts rather than assumptions.”

The simplified financial statements would include “details of NYU’s achievements in affordability and accommodation,” each department’s budget and spending, and a breakdown of tuition costs and how they are spent. Kellenberger said the statements would also feature opportunities for students to submit financial proposals, and detail information on the Financial Affairs Committee — which is open to all students — as well as college and residential leadership groups that use the budget.

The legislation passed unanimously at Thursday’s SGA meeting — its final one of the semester — after Kellenberger initially raised it for discussion in March. It will now go to NYU’s University Senate, a committee of administrative, faculty and student representatives that approves universitywide policy changes, when it returns from summer break.

“We like to think that the university has infinite money, and if we ask nicely long enough, we can get a slice of that pie — and that’s generally true,” Kellenberger said. “But sometimes, having this information available lets us be realistic about what we are actually able to do in the current moment.”

At the meeting, student senators also initially passed legislation to reinstate NYU’s tradition of affinity graduations — which the university briefly halted in February, then reinstated as nearly identical “community end-of-year celebrations” the next month. However, they rescinded the resolution after Vice President for Student Engagement Rafael Rodriguez said the University Senate — which would have to approve the legislation — did not hold jurisdiction over the ceremonies.

Contact Zachary Karp at [email protected].