On Wednesday night, ASUO Senate approved the Athletics and Contracts Finance Committee to grow by approximately $161,428 or 4.31 percent.
This allows for the Oregon Student Public Interest Research Group to be fully funded at $117,000 and no growth beyond current service level adjustments for the Lane Transit District contract or the Athletics Department contract.
The benchmark is the amount a committee thinks it will need to grow for the year, so that committee members can work out smaller things and Senate is not overwhelmed when the budget is decided.
ACFC almost took LTD bus service off its benchmark and proposed having the University administration negotiate the contract. Because LTD is the second biggest ACFC contract, just behind Athletics, it’s often a meaty contract for students to negotiate themselves.
LTD discussion took up a majority of the benchmark hearing as ASUO senators went back and forth with the ASUO Executive on student oversight in the contract negotiation.
ASUO President Amelie Rousseau said student control of contract negotiations is crucial because students pay for the service, but some senators were not convinced.
Rousseau and others argued that when the administration deals with the contract, students may have no oversight in the way LTD and the University work together.
Throughout ACFC’s section, which lasted from 8:39 p.m. to 12:06 a.m., these three contracts were each removed and replaced in various amendments made by senators.
Senators voted on the final benchmark of 4.31 percent total growth for ACFC around midnight and was approved with 11 senators affirming, four voting against and five senators abstaining from voting altogether.
Though the final result does not grant OSPIRG any money yet, approval on the benchmark is the closest they have been to funding since the ACFC voted to defund it in spring term 2009.
As budget decisions are made in winter term, senators will go through each budget more closely and funding decisions will happen at that point.