The Student Government Association has had their line-item hearings and so far, so good. Every organization that applied and came before SGA March 22 was approved for line-item status.

It’s a process that involves a great deal of time and paperwork from both the organizations and SGA, but it’s well worth it. A group that is successful in having year-round events on campus can have a set amount of money to work with from the beginning of the year.

Otherwise, groups have to come before SGA every time they need money. Hopefully, the decorum that was used to fairly and justly look at each organization will be used in budget hearings and carry over to the next year when the real bargaining happens over how much money each line-item organization will receive.

There are many controversial groups on campus, some are considered line-item and some aren’t. Now and in the future SGA needs to look at organizations through a lens that assesses the organization’s campus contributions, no matter how large or small.

SGA did their best to do so this round, and hopefully this can be a model for future SGA members.

It should also be remembered that while SGA acted fairly in approving or disapproving line-item status, this was only the beginning. Ask a SGA member or a member of a line-item organization and they will tell you how brutal it can sometimes get when hammering out the budget for the next academic year.

It’s not supposed to be easy, but many times a person’s personal biases can get in the way of properly serving their constituencies.

While for now SGA did a good job with line-item, it’s important for members to use the same decorum in the next steps of the budget process.