Budget proposals streamlined by software switch

The TCU Senate's Allocations Board (ALBO) has switched to Microsoft Excel in an effort to make budget calculations and submissions easier for student groups. ALBO used Microsoft Word before the switch.

"We now have a more uniform and error-proof system than before, when we used Microsoft Word," Programming Board Co-Chair Anita Sinha said. Programming Board oversees ten groups, including the class councils, Social Programming Board, Concert Board, and the Film and Lecture Series.

"Excel is a lot more straightforward, and even provides spaces for explanations," she said. "All you have to do is enter the numbers in the right places."

Tufts Community Union (TCU) Treasurer Josh Belkin said he proposed the switch to last year's treasurer Ben Lee. "He wasn't very tech-savvy and thought it wouldn't work, so I told him 'When I'm treasurer...' and now we're using Excel," Belkin said.

Belkin said Excel saved ALBO time and ensures greater accuracy. "There would be ten of us sitting there for four hours just correcting math mistakes," he said. "It was also unfair to groups before because they would think they were going to get something, but then a mistake would be found, and all of a sudden they'd be down three hundred dollars."

"There's less confusion over what's being cut from each group's budget," Assistant Treasurer Harish Perkari said. "Excel allows us to do it so quickly that we can edit budgets right in front of them, which is very helpful for the groups in understanding what's going on."

According to Concert Board Treasurer Jason Slomovitz, "the editing process was much easier -- instead of having to rewrite and recalculate all the figures, all I had to do was input the new numbers into the right columns."

"The Treasury's template has made it so simple that I haven't had to deal with the problems that my fellow programming board members have had in the past," freshman Class Council Treasurer Jonathan Chan said.

Groups were required to submit their budgets for next year by last week. Final budget decisions will be made on Feb. 26, after each group has met with a representative from ALBO.