After a dramatic ASUO Summer Senate meeting on Friday that threatened to empty the surplus funds, Wednesday’s meeting led to a resolution that had both the senate and the ASUO Executive team relieved but moderately unsatisfied.
Michael King, the ASUO programs director, presented the request asking to help fund a trip to the United States Student Association conference in Wisconsin next week.
King explained the importance of the USSA conference and stressed that all 11 people would need to be in attendance for the ASUO representatives to meet the diversity quota set by USSA for their conference. This allows the University to hold a specific level of stature, and ensures a certain number of votes at the conference.
If the entire special request is granted, members from the Black Student Union, Arab Student Union and MEChA would be able to attend. These members would embark on a road trip to Madison, Wisconsin. A trip that “in general will help build a lot of solidarity,” King said.
King went on to explain that the budget for gas had been reduced, but an additional plane ticket must be purchased since BSU co-director Olivia Manwarren would be unable to miss enough work to ride in the eight-passenger van. This would account for $661 of the special request.
After some silent thinking, Senate President Matthew Miyamoto finally asked “what happens if the Diversity requirements aren’t met at conferences like this?”
“I think there can be penalties, but I guess I’m not 100 percent sure,” King said. “In terms of the reputation of the U of O, it wouldn’t look very good.”
Despite the risks of not funding the cost for Manwarren’s ticket, Miyamoto suggested the senate not cover the plane ticket so that the cost of the eight-passenger van could be covered in full.
Senators Lindy Mabuya and Ian Needham were uncomfortable leaving Manwarren out of the conference, because on top of not meeting the USSA’s diversity requirements, the University would not be sending an African-American representative to the conference.
“Now we are putting a price tag on an entire group of people at the University,” Needham said.
Despite concerns of not including an entire group to the conference, King continued to stress that many representatives needed to attend the conference.
“As of right now I think we need to maximize the amount of people that can go, and a van is the way to maximize that,” King said.
Miyamoto, after some more silence, moved to authorize $1,680 to the Executive’s budget — the price of the total request minus the single plane ticket. It passed 3-1-0, and it is unclear of whether or not Marwarren will be able to afford to go without the Senate funding.