ASUO Senate recommended the budget benchmark to the Athletics and Contracts Finance Committee last night, voting to recommend a 0 percent increase instead of the committee’s proposed 7 percent.
With this, the Senate encouraged the committee to reevaluate contracts with the Lane Transit District and for student athletic tickets. Many senators brought up the idea of reducing incidental fee funding of these services and requiring individual students to make up the difference.
“We are spending far, far too much money on a service that people are willing to pay for,”Sen. Sandy Weintraub said of amount of money spent on student tickets to athletic events.
In terms of the LTD contract, there was more discussion about proposed ideas on ways to resolve the rising costs of the service.
Weintraub said that the service is underused and therefore a new approach should be considered.
“We have leverage as a 22,000 member ‘citizen of the community,’ and we need to use it,” he said. “I encourage us to work with the University administration; pressure from that type of body may help us in this situation.”
Responding to this, Dean of Students Paul Shang said, “The administration is fully supportive of the position of the ASUO on this issue, and welcomes the opportunity to be more aggressively supportive on this issue.”
Senate also approved the budget benchmark of the EMU Board, which was recommended to not exceed growth of 5.45 percent.
A resolution to make Military Science a minor was voted to be sent to Senate Rules Committee. Sen. Tyler Griffin, who is personally opposed to military practice and expanding the institution’s incorporation on campus, voiced the only opposition.
Senate also unanimously approved the request for Forensics to switch its classification as a program to that of a department.
Senate postponed the final vote on the Riverfront resolution due to the fact that Senate did not receive the resolution 48 hours prior to its meeting. A special meeting to vote on the resolution will be held tonight at 8:15 p.m.
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