Disputes over control of roughly $52,000 in revenue from an environmental initiative stirred bitter tensions between the ASUO Senate and ASUO President Sam Dotters-Katz.
Dotters-Katz proposed the money be split between two funds he controls, equipment for the EMU and discretionary funds for the president, promising that the Senate would have input on how he spent the money if it followed his recommendation.
The Senate voted down Dotters-Katz’s recommendation by a margin of six for and seven against. Many senators said they were nervous about putting money in a fund of which they had no legal oversight. Instead, senators said they hoped they could find a way to gain control of the money.
The University earned the money through the Oregon Business Energy Tax Credit, a program created by the state government that rewards businesses for reducing carbon emissions. The credit was worth roughly $76,000, but the Senate and Dotters-Katz agreed that $20,000 should finance the extension of bus hours.

Sen. Hailey Sheldon said the administration intended to put the money in the over-realized fund, which the Senate may not use until spring term, unless it gets a concrete recommendation for another course of action from the ASUO.
Only 13 of 20 Senators showed up to the meeting, which was scheduled specifically to discuss the bus extension. The Senate is not required to meet during dead week or finals week. Senate meetings require two-thirds of members, 13.2 senators, to be present to proceed under Senate rules. Dotters-Katz disagreed with Senate President Alex McCafferty over whether 13 senators constituted two-thirds of the body.
“This is the sloppiest Senate meeting I have ever seen in my entire life,” Dotters-Katz said.
The Senate also voted to allocate $1,500 to the Black Student Union to fund parts of their Kwanzaa celebration set for Dec. 7, 2008.
For more information about the ASUO meeting, visit the Emerald news blog at blogs.dailyemerald.com/news.
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