RHA, Impact await vote on tax funding

Two student organizations’ futures rely on a campuswide student vote this week.

The Residence Halls Association and Impact (89-FM) each charge a student tax that the organizations rely almost completely on for funding. Every three years, each tax referendum goes before a student vote to determine whether the taxes continue.

The vote also includes the election of ASMSU representatives. ASMSU is MSU’s undergraduate student government.

Both the RHA and Impact taxes are refundable.

RHA charges $25 a semester to all undergraduate students living in on-campus housing. That tax pays for all day-to-day activities and events that RHA organizes, RHA President Mark Dobson said.

“We want students to see that value, see where their $25 is going every semester,” he said. “With the variety of things RHA puts out there — our regular services in addition to other programing — I think students get a pretty nice value for $25.”

One of the services RHA provides is Campus Center Cinemas, which shows movies every week.

Campus Center Cinemas was allocated more than $50,000 by RHA for spring 2009 operations.

“At times like this, people need low-cost entertainment,” Dobson said. “You could spend $25 in two trips to the movie theater.”

RHA collected $353,075 from the student tax for spring semester. Without the tax money, RHA would cease to exist, Dobson said.

“Almost everything that we do has a price tag attached to it,” he said.

The Impact collects a $3 tax from all students each semester. That tax money also almost completely funds the station, which is commercial-free.

“It’s a tax that has never increased, and it’s really important just to keep us on air,” station manager Jeremy Whiting said. “Without that money, we wouldn’t be able to broadcast.”

The Impact received about $139,800 in fall 2008. If the tax referendum fails to pass, Impact would not broadcast, but Whiting said it would apply for a tax again next year.

Impact general manager Gary Reid said it is important the Impact receive the student tax money because it is the students’ radio station.

“Anyone, no matter what major or level, is free to work there,” he said. “The programming on (the Impact) is appealing to a broad base of campus listeners. That is a pretty big service. It’s a 24/7, 365-day operation.”