During the September 3rd Congress of Club Presidents (CCP) meeting it was announced that budget meetings for student organizations are postponed until a new budget manager is hired.
“If there’s no money, how are we actually going to run the club?” said Ava Ghosh, senior and President of the Relax and Craft Club in an interview with The Knight News. “My treasurer already had like two budget forms already made,” she added.
The Queens College Association (QCA) – which administers the portion of the Student Activity Fee used by student organizations – has been without a budget manager since the end of Spring 2026. As a result, there is no one to discuss budget proposals with and no one to process payment forms for student organizations. In addition, student organizations are unable to fundraise because the money needs to be processed by the QCA.
“We have an event currently up on UKnighted that’s been fully approved,” said Diego Robledo, senior and Vice President of the Relax and Craft Club. “It has over 30 people registered for it. We are definitely going to have to postpone it. We don’t have enough scrapbooking material for almost 40 people.”
Student organizations use funding from the Student Activity fee – which is included in tuition every semester – to purchase materials and food for their events. Even though student organizations can continue to host events, some clubs rely on Student Activity Fee funding more than others.
For example, Robledo who is also the treasurer for the Ceramics Club said, “For Ceramics Club, our events aren’t necessarily a lot of small things that we can kind of cut corners with costs. It’s bags of clay, it’s different glazes, it’s underglazes and art materials have gotten infinitely more expensive.”
In Fall 2026, full-time undergraduate students paid $162.40 in Student Activity Fees each semester. While part-time students paid $129.90 in Student Activity Fees. In addition to funding student organizations, Student Activity Fees go toward categories such as The Student Union, athletic programs and student government.
During the September 3rd CCP meeting, Student Association (SA) – which is responsible for representing the student body and advocating for student interests – shared a Petition to the Queens College (QC) administration and College Association.
The petition states “We, undersigned students and student leaders of Queens College, call for urgent action to address the administrative staffing and operational barriers currently affecting student organizations, student programming, and the effective use of student activity fee resources.”
The petition asks that the Queens College administration and QCA provide an immediate update on the progress on hiring a budget manager, expedite the filling of vacancies affecting student organizations, establish consistent communication with SA and student organizations, and evaluate how administrative barriers impact student programming.
“The Queens College Association has been authorized to hire temporary staff to support its operations while the search for permanent employees is underway.” Vice President for Student Affairs and Strategic Enrollment Initiatives Jennifer Jarvis said in a statement to The Knight News. “The Budget Committee will begin accepting student organization budget proposals in October 2026, and approved funding will be allocated and made available through the College Association’s established process. The temporary staffing authorization is intended to provide the administrative support necessary to continue that work while the permanent search proceeds.”
