Credit: Brandon Seager

The Student Union President has slammed the University for insufficient funding.University funding for YUSU has seen four successive years of decline when measured on a per capita basis.YUSU President Kallum Taylor told Nouse, "It's getting to a breaking point. Student numbers have gone up by over a third, yet our funding has in no way reflected that. It's not sustainable."The University commented, "In no sense could YUSU be said to be short of funds given that they have a reserve of over £400,000 which they are at liberty to spend if they wish."A longitudinal per capita block grant calculation shows that a period of increases in student numbers has not been matched by sufficient increases in block grant, and so the amount of funding YUSU has per student has "aggressively declined".The grant allocated to each individual student was £61.74 in 2006/7, compared to £49.19 in 2011/12.The University have not yet notified the Union of the nature of next year's grant. Last year the Union received £881,876.The Charities Commission require six months of operating costs in the bank. YUSU's current cash reserve is just three per cent above the legal minimum. This extra reserve of £14,000 doesn't cover even a quarter of the Union's spending on sport alone.Taylor told Nouse, it was "staggering that the University would even dare try and hold against us what is our legal obligation to the Charities Commission in having a certain amount of reserves for a rainy day."To try and create an impression that we're sat on hoards of cash is dangerous and disingenuous. The University should know this, seeing as they're sat on reserves of many millions themselves."YUSU claim it is "ridiculous" to suggest that with over £14,000 it is possible to subsidise "a poor block grant" over the course of an entire year; funding societies and sports clubs, welfare, volunteering and RAG projects, staff support for Officers and JCRCs.YUSU currently sits in the bottom three of Russell Group institutions for grant funding, when measured either on a per capita basis, or on a total funding basis. In the past four years, YUSU's grant change year on year has fallen short of the Russell Group average percentage grant change.The Higher Education Statistics Agency states there are 17,405 students at York. However the University has said that student numbers are currently stable at just less than 15,000 FTE. "Budgets for 2013/14 have still to be approved by Council but we expect the uplift for YUSU will be in line with the uplift for University support services."The University say they have given YUSU every opportunity to present a case for funding. Claiming YUSU have regular meetings with the Deputy Vice-Chancellor and the Registrar and are represented on Council, Senate, the Policy & Resources and Student Experience Committees.In response Taylor commented, "Aside from the constant procrastination over the matter, the arguments being put forward against YUSU are disingenuous and desperate."The University told Nouse, "The YUSU grant has increased in line with increases in spending on University support functions in the last few years. When you take into account our financial support for not just YUSU, but also GSA and the Colleges, our spending is very much in line with other universities."YUSU believes these counter arguments to be misleading.The University invests £169,230 in the Graduate Students Association per year. Taylor commented, "It is the University's choice entirely to fund the GSA. Legally, YUSU are the representative for all students and our costs, and more importantly our responsibilities, are in no way reduced because of their existence."In reference to wider 'college funding' Taylor commented that students have no say over where this money is spent, "it is entirely at the whim of the Provosts."Despite eight requests for the annual "social fund" of £400,000 given to the JCRCs from the University, the money is yet to be paid this year. The only funding given to JCRCs so far this year has come from YUSU.Alcuin JCRC Chair, Joshua Lee commented, "Imagine you have two shops. One sells lots of different kind of fruit and the other only sells bananas. The Banana shop is failing. Nobody seems to be running it and nobody knows it exists. Do you keep ploughing money into the banana shop to try and make it successful or close the banana shop and invest in the shop that sells all kinds of fruit?"Allowing your customers to get everything they want from one fruit shop and even been able to sell new kinds of fruit thanks to the extra money saved from removing the duplication of trading bananas."Funding the GSA is like funding that banana shop. At the end of the day, it only sells bananas and there is a much bigger, better, more efficient shop across the road that sells lots of fruit including bananas."In the print edition of Nouse the University figure was quoted as £14,000. This has been amended to read £400,000 (12.30pm 28th May).