The Undergraduate Student Government granted $86,480 in funding requests Tuesday.

USG met for its bi-weekly meeting and granted nine Registered Student Organizations money for programs, including $36,100 for the student government itself.

The nine RSO’s that received funding are the Delta Zetas, Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, Alpha Phi Alpha, WIDB Radio, Inter-Greek Council, Sigma Lambda Beta, Latin American Student Organization and Sigma Lambda Gamma. The funding will go toward the RSOs’ various event necessities, payroll budgets, equipment and travel expenses.

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Brittany Greathouse, USG president, also presented her goals for the government for this academic year. These goals include attempting to increase the retention rate by enhancing bonds with international students, working to gain a full senate and helping to connect freshmen with upperclassmen to form relationships.

Corbin Doss, USG’s vice president, discussed his summer trip to Kenya. A group of 12 SIU students and a few other colleges went on an 18-day trip led by Peter Gitau, associate vice chancellor and dean of students, who grew up in Kenya.

The group visited the SIUC library in Kenya, which Doss said USG funded to build. Doss said the senate’s next plan is to host a spaghetti dinner Oct. 10 to raise money to place books in the new library.

Eight senate members were also inaugurated at the meeting. The new senators are Sarah Hollis, Dominique Woodhouse, Andrea Chairse, Sarah Leas, Keonna Washington, Brent Martin, Joseph Carnduff and Dylan Neudecker.