Student leaders faced scrutiny from representatives of various student organizations about transparency and spending as they reviewed the 2024–25 budget during the Graduate Student Government (GSG) meeting on Tuesday.
This follows a tense GSG meeting in May 2025, which led to the appointment of an auditor responsible for reviewing GSG’s budgetary expenses and delayed the implementation of a $100 Student Life Fee. Notably, both GSG President Amari Tankard GS and Treasurer Seraya Jones-Nelson GS were absent from Tuesday’s meeting.
Over $3,000 in expenses were charged to incorrect chartstrings, either by accident or “on purpose to take advantage of excess funds in other budget items,” according to the audit report by Kathy Wang GS. Wang agreed that more accurate expense reporting was necessary.
GSG reported an expected budget surplus of roughly $1,000 from the 2024–25 academic year. Total spending remained within operating expectations.
Special and social events accounted for 49 percent of the $94,846 budget, while the Events Board and the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee used 11 and 10 percent, respectively. The largest unbudgeted expense was the purchase of 500 beer jackets for about $23,000. Although total expenditures exceeded the planned budget by 24 percent — much of it due to the jacket purchases — GSG plans to recover this deficit through sales.
Wang recommended improving the organization’s financial transition process, noting that GSG’s fiscal year does not align with its officer term cycle. “That caused a lot of issues where [students] think they have more money than they do, or less money than they do,” Wang said in the meeting.
“A lot of things were charged with wrong [chartstrings],” Wang said. “Obviously, that makes it hard for everyone to keep track of how to stay in budget if your expenses are not in the chartstring that you think you should be checking.”
Students raised questions about several expenses listed in the 2024–25 budget, which included $316 spent on a six-person dinner following an American Cancer Society fundraising event that donated $40, or $800 in gift cards given to students to increase survey participation. An additional $400 was spent replacing a tent stolen during the Greening Move Out.
Others also questioned the value of the GSG’s participation in the Ivy + Summit in December 2024, which cost roughly two percent of the annual budget and exceeded its allocation by several hundred dollars.
“At this point, why are these events happening in such locations? Why can’t you just ask exec[utive] members to correspond via email with the other exec teams … or have Zoom calls?” Sarah Kwartler GS, a representative from Princeton Women in STEM, asked.
“When you go to these conferences, you’re meeting with the graduate student governments of these other schools,” GSG Vice President Caridad Estrada GS said. “We share information on what initiatives they have,” Estrada added, citing a financial freedom initiative for graduate student 403(b) accounts as one example inspired by the conference.
When some students suggested that names of representatives involved in spending missteps be disclosed, Wang and Estrada declined, citing incomplete records and unnamed receipts.
“I think what’s really important here is that when these elections do come, you actually interact with these candidates,” Estrada told the attendees at the conclusion of the 90-minute meeting. “Maybe we should be a little more involved in seeing who we’re electing into these positions.”
Kelan Beacham, associate director of the Student Health Plan (SHP), also addressed students on changes to insurance and coverage prior to the discussion on budgets. There were some cuts to students’ coverage, including a $100 co-pay added to emergency room services.
Some students probed Beacham on how this decision was communicated to students. “I’m curious when that decision was made, because it was not announced in email to the public until well after the enrollment period,” Lucas Frye GS said.
While Beacham stated that the decision was made in April, he said that the process necessitated sign-off from a variety of parties, delaying communication to students.
GSG meetings are typically held on the second Tuesday of every month and are open to all graduate students.
Sena Chang is a senior News writer and Features contributor for the ‘Prince.’ She typically covers town topics and campus unions. She can be reached at sc3046[at]princeton.edu.
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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