Differences in fiscal philosophies divided parts of the Student Activities Finance Board and Associated Student Government’s Senate at last Wednesday’s meeting, as senators debated allocating about $193,000 in student group funding.
ASG members challenged the idea that larger student groups should receive a greater share of supplemental funding. In an effort to redistribute money to smaller groups, some senators called for cutting $25,000 from SAFB’s recommendation of $75,000 for A&O Productions. The student organization received the largest funding recommendation.
Senators might vote at today’s meeting to give the money back to A&O. It will be the last group considered and might be left with what’s left of the funding pool.
Final approval of SAFB’s recommendations lies ultimately with the Senate, Secretary/Parliamentarian Jonathan Webber said at last week’s meeting.
Senate to hear bills on WildCARD cases, desks for left-handers
In addition to voting on funding for nine remaining student groups, senators will hear two new bills at tonight’s Associated Student Government meeting.
An upcoming bill from the student services committee asks Facilities Management to put 15 additional left-handed desks in Room 107 in Harris Hall. A second bill asks the university to provide clear plastic sleeves that would attach WildCARDs to keychains.
– Diana Samuels
“Senate must be the final authority on funding and the final judge of financial philosophy,” the Weinberg sophomore said. “There are two such philosophies: One claims that only a few large student groups should get the majority of the funding as it is now, so as to sponsor a few large events each year. The other claims that the money should be dispersed to as many groups as possible. We must decide which philosophy to embrace.”
He said he did not care which philosophy Senate ultimately chose. But he wanted senators to debate the issue.
David Kim, SAFB chairman and ASG’s financial vice president, said senators disregarded SAFB’s process to determine funding recommendations.
“They were essentially motioning to throw money at any student group they could,” said Kim, a Weinberg senior. “I think they were really enjoying the idea of having power, and they unfortunately didn’t understand that power isn’t really power. It’s responsibility.”
Senators might have thought they were serving as a check to SAFB by bringing the money into the pool so they could redistribute it, Kim said. But student groups – rather than Senate – are a more effective check against SAFB, he added.
If senators wanted to create a large pool of money to increase flexibility, they should have cut a smaller amount from all groups, not just A&O, said Peter Kahn, A&O’s chairman. The Communication senior added that the same senators who wanted to give money to smaller groups also supported giving an additional $15,000 to Mayfest, which plans Dillo Day.
Off-campus Sen. Jack Vrett originally lobbied to cut A&O’s funding by $50,000 to allow Senate to distribute that money to more student groups, he said. He later proposed more money for Mayfest.
“It’s the best usage of student money because everyone can come, and it’s free,” the Communication senior said.
During Senate, Mayfest’s leaders opposed the $15,000 increase and instead requested $3,000.
Co-chairman Ben Wolfert said $15,000 was excessive. He did not support senators taking $25,000 from A&O.
“The amount they wanted (to give to Mayfest) and the means by which they wanted to do it were bizarre to us,” said Wolfert, a Weinberg senior.
Jason Nellis, artistic director of Lovers and Madmen, said he expected to appeal for only $185 for publicity costs. Senators asked him if Lovers and Madmen needed anything else, motioning to give the group a computer, printer and $2,000 for an additional play. This fall is the first time the student theater organization will receive SAFB funds.
Senate needed to ensure Lovers and Madmen could handle SAFB funds before giving the group more, SAFB members said. Senate only approved the $185 addition for publicity.
To determine recommendations, SAFB analyzes how the group used past funding, event popularity and standard costs for common expenses such as publicity. SAFB’s quantitative analysis was “thrown out the window,” at last Wednesday’s meeting, Kim said.
Vrett said he felt the Senate usually agreed with SAFB and passed most of its recommendations last week without changes.
Most senators are new or freshmen. Only five or six raised their hands when asked in Senate who had been a senator last Winter Quarter. Kim said he wondered if senators are in touch with the students they represent, since dorm senators now represent multiple dorms instead of one.
“I really did believe that the Senate – at the end of the day – it serves the best interest of students,” Kim said. “Last week was the first meeting in four years that I felt that wasn’t happening.”
Reach Diana Samuels at [email protected].
