A&O Productions will received an additional $12,817, Associated Student Government’s Senate voted on Wednesday. This money will replace about half of the $25,000 senators cut from the group last week.
Senators also closed the supplemental funding cycle by allotting $193,340 in this fall’s funding pool to different groups, leaving no money to be carried over to Spring Quarter’s funding.
Senate distributes funding to student groups in fall and spring. The money comes from part of the revenue from student group events and from the $120 Student Activities Fee that Northwestern students pay with their tuition. Student Activities Finance Board recommends funding amounts for A-status student groups. Senators then vote to approve or change the amounts.
Peter Kahn, chairman of A&O said he was “not unhappy” with the total of about $63,000 that the group received in supplemental funding. There is about a $7,000 increase in overall funding, a rewarded for successful programming last year, he said.
“We weren’t outright punished for the year we had,” said Kahn, a Communication senior.
College Democrats and A&O were the only groups left to receive supplemental funding near the end of Wednesday’s meeting, when Senate had about $28,817 left to add to SAFB’s recommendations. Senators voted to give College Democrats an additional $9,000, bringing the group’s supplemental funding to about $31,000. The move brought the funding pool down to $17,817.
“This isn’t about A&O. And it shouldn’t be about College Democrats versus A&O,” said Andrew London, College Democrats’ treasurer and a SESP sophomore. “I don’t want us to be looking at (the amount of money remaining in the funding pool) and trying to divide it up between two groups.”
College Democrats appealed Wednesday even though they hadn’t planned to after receiving their SAFB recommendations two weeks ago, said President Jenna Carls, a Weinberg senior. When the group saw the approximately $31,000 pool Senate created by cutting from SAFB recommendations, members decided to ask for more.
“Now that they have more money at their disposal, they should use it,” Carls said.
Although College Republicans had an opportunity to appeal last week for more funds, Senate voted to allow the group an additional chance to ask for more money before A&O’s appeal hearing. College Republicans received an additional $5,000.
At the end of last week’s meeting, College Republicans did not have a sufficient opportunity to appeal, President Ben Snyder said.
“It flew by before we had a chance to object last time,” said Snyder, a Weinberg senior.
Before Senate could move Wednesday night to address A&O requests, a motion was made to reopen debate on Mayfest, although the group already received an additional $3,000 last week. The motion, proposed by Interfraternity Council Sen. Daniel Lawner, a Weinberg sophomore, did not pass.
Mayfest co-chairs opposed a large increase last week and asked only for the $3,000 they received so Senate could distribute funds to more student groups. Lawner said he wanted to reopen debate because Senate had “considered all of the other, smaller student groups.”
At the outset of Wednesday’s funding round, Senate added $1,000 to Alternative Student Breaks’ recommendation of $500. ASB asked for the additional money to accommodate the rise in gas prices.
Black student alliance For Members Only also approached Senate, petitioning for a $1,336 addition to its recommendation of $1,925. Senate instead approved a $1,165 addition to help fund the group’s Spring Quarter fashion show.
Senators also heard a bill proposing to add more left-handed seats to Harris Hall Room 107, as well as a bill requesting Norris Bookstore to sell low-cost plastic holders for WildCARDs.
Reach Diana Samuels at [email protected].
