Senate rejected a proposal to raise the Student Activities Fee Wednesday night and condemned a plan to fill in part of the Lagoon.
Before addressing concerns about the Lagoon, Associated Student Government senators voted against the idea of increasing the fee, which funds student group programming, by a 27 to 34 margin after a lengthy debate.
The proposal had called for and increase in the Student Activities Fee by $7 per quarter to a total of $40.
“Today Senate dealt a big blow to student groups,” said ASG Executive Vice President Srikanth Reddy, a McCormick junior, who proposed the increase. “Basically (senators) told them that they’re just not good enough and they’re not doing a good enough job.”
Jason Warren, the senator for the Bisexual, Gay and Lesbian Alliance, said student groups need to learn to use allocated funds more efficiently before ASG asks for the increase.
“BGALA does need money,” said Warren, a Speech sophomore. “But BGALA would rather get that money by proving that we are a meritorious group and that we can compete with the groups that are vying for the same money.”
Financial Vice President Carson Kuo said senators and students who had problems with the funding process or the proposed increase should have expressed concern to him prior to the discussion at the meeting.
The Student Activities Fee can be raised only through action by Northwestern’s Board of Trustees, but the board generally takes ASG’s approval into account.
Before voting on the resolution, Public Affairs Residential College Sen. Eileen Keeley discussed the low student interest in some existing events as a reason for not allocating more money to programs.
“(NU is) not lacking in the quality of the programming, it’s not lacking in quantity of the programming, it’s lacking in the attendance of the programs,” said Keeley, a Weinberg sophomore.
For Members Only Senator Mike Blake said students would want to have the opportunity to attend a wide variety of activities, a chance that increasing the fee would provide.
“This was about benefiting every student on this campus by giving them more programming,” said Blake, a Medill sophomore. “It’s their choice if they don’t want to go, but we’re giving them that chance.”
A 1999 student referendum that led to an increase in the fee garnered the support of 63.5 percent of the students who voted, but Warren said the results were outdated and misleading. Off-Campus Sen. Rachel Lopez said she plans to organize a new referendum for next Thursday, allowing students to express their opinions on the possible fee increase and Lagoon construction.
In an emergency resolution calling to postpone construction, senators condemned the administration for deciding to fill in part of the Lagoon without asking for student input.
The administration purposely stifled student opinion on the Lagoon plan, said Matt McCormick, the Students for Ecological and Environmental Development senator who introduced the resolution.
“This is quite frankly one of the greatest assaults on this student government and our ability to represent the student body,” said McCormick, a Weinberg sophomore.
ASG President Jordan Heinz said he hopes to have an open forum Tuesday with administrators about the issue.
In other business, senators unanimously passed an emergency resolution encouraging NU to create a plan for making buildings handicapped accessible. Bills to create an online Chicago guide and to establish a listserv for Latino studies supporters also were approved.
Senators also introduced legislation about:
_Ѣ continued support for the Norris University Expansion campaign
_Ѣ student priority in reserving Sports Pavilion and Aquatic Center tennis courts
_Ѣ improvements in the freshmen and transfer student advising program
_Ѣ copy machines in more dorms and academic buildings
_Ѣ transfer student waiting list priority for housing.