The general assembly of the Residence Halls Association approved its budget for the fall semester Wednesday night.

The expenses for fall semester’s budget is $372,430.95. Each person living in the residence halls is charged an RHA tax of $21 by the university, which contributes to RHA revenue.

RHA also has a reserve fund, not included in the budget totaling $3,160.64.

The organization’s biggest costs are for its cinema, $66,980, special events $61,060, and movie offices, $35,742.

But RHA has had trouble balancing its budget in the past. During the 2002 spring semester, RHA officials were scrutinized after the organization spent its $82,500 movie budget.

Tim Liss, president of RHA, said this year’s budget is healthy, and he does not anticipate any major pitfalls.

“We have rearranged how our organization is structured financially in terms of checks and balances,” he said. “There are a lot more people to go through before the money can get spent.”

But a top official resigned and RHAendured the loss of more than 30 jobs for movie workers in the spring.

Changes in this year’s money distribution include having two different departments allocating money towards campus movies.

In the spring, all $82,500 was under the movie program budget.

This year, RHA officials decided to split the movie budget into a cinema budget and a movie offices budget.

The cinema department is the division that sponsors Campus Center movies at Wells Hall.

The movie offices are the division in charge of purchasing movies to rent out to residents and maintaining movie offices.

The budgets for the two departments total $102,722 - substantially more than the spring’s budget.

Bryson Jacques, comptroller for RHA, said the discrepancy between this semester’s budget and the spring’s budget is attributed to run-down movie offices that need maintenance.

Jacques said that after money is spent on maintenance, the movie offices’ costs will be significantly less next semester.

During the meeting, general assembly members also nominated two candidates to fill the vacant seat of external vice president.

Case Hall Rep. Derek Wallbank along with Holden Hall Rep. Cory Rose both accepted nominations.

There will be more nominations accepted on Sept. 25, and the election will be held Oct. 2.

The seat became vacant after Emily Edick resigned earlier this month because of unspecified health issues.

John Sturk, internal vice president for RHA, said he thinks the two candidates are qualified for the position, but he would like to see more candidates before the election.

“I hope more people take an interest,” he said.

“But you need to be the right kind of person to hold that job, it is very demanding.”

Sturk said now that the budget is out of the way, he’s eager to see some of the programs come alive and bring smiles to students in residence halls.

“Now we will be able to get the ball rolling and go through with all the great ideas we have,” he said.