Student groups wanting more money in the fall will have to wait for Associated Student Government to pass a constitutional amendment and deliver a belated funding proposal to Northwestern administrators, a two-week process that begins at tonight’s Senate meeting.
ASG members said they wanted to deliver the funding proposal to administrators this week. The proposal would request an increase in the Student Activities Fee and a plan to share the extra money with all ASG-recognized student groups. But senators last week repeatedly defeated a bill to share extra fee money with B- and T-status groups because it contradicts the ASG Constitution to give funding to student groups that don’t hold A-status.
This Week at Senate:
- Senators will vote on the proposed budget.
- Senate will introduce a constitutional amendment to allow funding for all student groups.
- The funding will come from an increase in the SAF.
As a result, tonight senators will hear a constitutional amendment to allow the sharing of fee money among all ASG-recognized student groups. They will vote on it next week, and then ASG members will deliver the proposal to administrators.
During last week’s meeting, some ASG members said they were worried the fee increase proposal would fall through because of the delay. Jay Schumacher, executive vice president and a Communication junior, said he would “get on hands and knees” and ask the Board of Trustees for an extension.
After speaking to administrators, Schumacher said they were willing to wait for ASG to amend its constitution.
Senators who voted last week against distributing money among all ASG-recognized student groups said their main concern was violating the ASG Constitution, and they had no problems with sharing fee money with all student groups.
“The Senate is overwhelmingly in favor, it seems, of amending the constitution,” said ASG President Patrick Keenan-Devlin, a Music senior. “It’s just that last week’s debate was about constitutionality and protocol, not policy or process. It leaves me in an enthusiastic state. I don’t think we’ll have any more problems following this week.”
Full-time currently students pay the annual $120 fee with tuition, creating a nearly $1 million pool that ASG distributes exclusively to A-status groups. The proposal would increase the fee to $135.90 over the next three years. If the amendment passes, student groups classified as B- or T-status could receive up to $14,000 of the pool.
At tonight’s meeting senators will also hear another constitutional amendment that would prohibit further amendments without getting approval from the student body.
Senators will also vote on ASG’s 2006-07 proposed budget and upcoming election guidelines tonight.
Reach Nitesh Srivastava at [email protected].
