Johnathon Boles, president of the Student Government Association, announced cuts to the SGA budget at the senate meeting tonight.

Boles and Administrative Vice President Reagan Gilley made the decision to cut $2,600 from the retreat budget and $1,500 from organizational aid for a total of $4,100. Those amounts equal 4 percent of SGA’s total budget, Boles said.

Gov. Steve Beshear recently announced that all eight state universities must cut 4 percent of their budget, Boles said.

This amounts to about $3.2 million of Western’s budget, Boles said.

“SGA this time will be a part of the cuts,” he said.

Boles said he will continue to fight for the affordability of higher education and encourages students to do the same.

“Let’s go to Frankfort in January and blow their minds,” he said.

SGA passed a resolution on Nov. 18 which states senators will participate in a rally in Frankfort to protest budget cuts in higher education.

Louisville junior Brittany-Ann Wick also spoke of the budget cuts in her academic affairs committee report.

She said she hopes that students will contact their state representative and voice their concerns.

“Education in no way should be cut,” she said.

Wick also announced that the committee has chosen 25 winners of the Buy-A-Book scholarship and professors and advisors of the year from each college.

Also at the meeting, a bill was passed that gave $2,145.20 in organizational aid money to five organizations.

The Interfraternity Council got $445.20, the Dodgeball Club got $300, Sigma Tau Delta International English Honor Society got $500, Sigma Phi Epilson got $400 and the Student Affairs Graduate Association got $500.

Boles made appointments to the Textbook Subsidy Program’s board and made Lisa Kappler chief justice because current Chief Justice Anthony Wong is graduating this month.

Senators voted for both a senator and committee member of the semester and the winners of those awards will be announced at SGA’s banquet later tonight.

Tonight’s meeting was the last for the semester.