A funding request from the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer Alliance sparked a debate over the role of the ASUO Senate in allocating stipends to student programs at its weekly meeting Wednesday night. After more than an hour, the conversation achieved a general sentiment to leave stipend allocations to the ASUO Programs Finance Committee (PFC)@@http://leadership.uoregon.edu/get_involved/governance/506@@.
The deliberation began when the LGBTQA asked to move $100 from its book fund to the Queer Prom. Presenters from the group said the group’s library was well-stocked and the funds were going unused. This transfer was approved with little contention.
Although the transfer did not change the group’s overall budget, the book fund was considered an administrative expense, while the Queer Prom fund is a program expense. Programming expenses are determined by how many stipend positions exist for students in a group; stipends reimburse students for the time and expense they put into the group’s work. The number of stipend positions in each group is set by the PFC in the group’s budget hearings during winter term.
LGBTQA’s programming budget was $11 short of the amount required to add an additional stipend position. With the transfer to Queer Prom, their programming budget was now large enough for the extra stipend, and the group asked for $1125 to cover the expense of the additional stipend.
This request was also approved in relatively short order, but eight senators declined to vote. Immediately after the vote, there was concern that the move was an infringement on the PFC’s role of allocating stipends.
“I think the fact that so many of us abstained should be called to question,” Sen. Lindy Mabuya@@directory@@ said. “I think what just happened right now was not appropriate.”
Others insisted that the appropriation of additional stipend funds was a proper recognition of the work the LGBTQA has done on campus.
“The LGBTQA is one of the most active groups on campus and clearly deserves to be in that class,” Sen. Ben Bowman@@directory@@ said.
“We should take that responsibility and fund that step increase,” Sen. Jeremy Hedlund@@directory@@ added.
Others felt that the allocation of an additional stipend was best left to the PFC.
“I think it’s a valid request because if they’re at a different level, they deserve that,” Sen. Christian Erichsen@@directory@@ said. “But that’s part of the PFC process.”
Erichsen asked the body to reconsider its decision, a request that was approved despite opposition from Hedlund, Bowman and Sen. Molly Bacon@@directory@@.
Bowman thought that deferring the responsibility to the PFC, which wouldn’t be able to implement the change until next year’s budget is passed, would be a disservice to the LGBTQA.
“That seems a little unfair to me. They’re doing the work and we’re not giving them a stipend,” he said. “We should vote on this on its own merit, not just turn this down because, ‘Oh, it’s PFC’s job.’”
“I think this should be the responsibility of the senate,” added Manny Garcia@@directory@@, the ASUO university affairs coordinator who was attending as a proxy for Vice President Katie Taylor@@directory@@.
A number of senators were concerned that if this stipend increase were approved, it would pave the way for other groups to change their budgets around to get additional stipends.
“I think it opens the door to unbridled discretion,” Sen. Benjamin Rudin@@directory@@ said.
“I think it opens the door to flexibility, which we could use on this body,” Hedlund replied.
The request was eventually rejected by a vote of seven to 11.
The Senate also voted to form a stipend committee to evaluate the current stipend model.
ASUO Senate changes mind on LGBTQA stipend
Daily Emerald
October 11, 2011
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