The ASUO Programs Finance Committee on Monday night allocated incidental fees collected from students to seven of the 130 student organizations it funds.
Each budget hearing passed unanimously during the four-and-a-half-hour meeting. The PFC increased budgets for six of the groups, including the Oregon Daily Emerald, which will receive an extra $8,750 next year for student subscriptions to counteract rising printing costs.
The Japanese Student Organization will receive a 13.66 percent increase, or $564, despite using only 79 percent of its allotted funding last year. The increase was, in part, due to a typographical error that allotted the group’s Japan Night
$70 rather than their requested $700, as well as a reward for their fundraising efforts.
Additionally, the Native American Student Union was allocated a 10.1 percent increase. Much of its budget goes toward the annual Anti-Columbus Day and Powwow events.
NASU president Natasha Joseph said the process was simple this year.
“This is the easiest PFC I’ve ever been to,” she said.
Land Air Water’s 7.6 percent increase of $1,163 will help fund its 25th annual environmental conference, which usually hosts 130 panel speakers and attracts 3,000 students and community members who attend free of charge.
The PFC gave the Pre-Dental Club a $26 increase – about 10 percent more than last year – and the Public Relations Student Society of America will have $2 more in its 2006-07 budget, a total of $727.
The Oregon Marching Band, who the PFC typically allots an average $4,000 increase each year, did not receive its requested 3.7 percent budget increase because it failed to turn in the required benchmark memo.
The PFC decided that this year groups that fail to complete a benchmark memo for the PFC are not eligible for any budget increase and receive the same amount as the previous year.
Oregon Marching Band president Ian Tornay said the group’s need for funds to travel depends on the success of the University’s football team.
“It was really very difficult for us to provide those numbers for (the PFC) because travel is actually one of our biggest costs, and at the time of the deadline, we didn’t know what our travel situation was with the bowls,” he said.
The PFC advised the group to provide estimates in benchmark memos rather than not submitting one at all in order to receive some increase in the future. The group plans to increase fundraising in order to make up for the extra funds they will not receive from the incidental fees.