Members of student cultural groups that have lost paid leadership positions are circulating a petition to press the ASUO Student Senate and University President Dave Frohnmayer to refund all the money cut during this year’s finance process.
Members of the Multicultural Center created the petition in support of restoring about $94,600 in student pay by
using overrealized funds, incidental fee money earmarked for one-time expenses and generated by overestimates of the University’s fee-paying population earlier this year. About 100 members from various groups, including members of the Asian Pacific American Student Union, the Black Student Union, the MCC and MEChA, have signed the petition, MCC spokesman Kit Myers said.
The Senate is expected to vote tonight on how to fund cut positions.
The Programs Finance Committee revised the pay model for groups this year in response to a letter from Frohnmayer this summer in which he noted that some groups receive more funds for pay than for programming. The PFC’s final changes to the pay model cut positions for many groups, drawing opposition from cultural organizations in particular.
As one of four options presented to the Senate last week by Senator Mike Sherman, “Option Two” would restore all the cut money if it is approved by the Senate tonight. Other options include replacing all the cut positions at $125 each at a total cost of $60,500, creating a committee to dole out relief funds or having groups submit special requests for funding to the full Senate.
Any Senate decision involving the overrealized funds must also gain approval from the ASUO Executive
and Frohnmayer.
Sherman previously said the fund fluctuates from about $250,000 to $300,000.
Myers said group members are “really hoping” for the second
option because pay cuts disproportionately affect low-income students and students of color. He said group leaders’ pay is small, but it allows some students to participate
who might otherwise have to
work elsewhere.
He said groups are concerned with a “contradiction” resulting from an increase in programming money and a “decline in support of … leadership positions.”
Refunding all the cut money would benefit groups that have worked the hardest over the years
to gain money from the PFC, Myers said. He added that under the first option, stipends are consistent
with the amount of hours student leaders work.
He said Frohnmayer’s concern “has some validity to it,” but the current pay model is not the best way to ensure consistency among stipends.
“Obviously we’re concerned about Frohnmayer passing whatever the Senate passes,” he said.
Dave Hubin, spokesman for Frohnmayer, said further reform on the stipend model is “absolutely critical.” He said addressing the ratio of programming money to stipend money will be “necessary to keep the incidental fee strong.”
He added that reforming the model was a difficult process for student leaders this year.
Hubin also said Frohnmayer will base his decision on whether a proposal to use overrealized funds has a lasting, positive impression on student government and has broad-based benefits.
He also said the Clark Document gives the president “appropriate final say” on the use of the funds, saying the president will be open to hearing proposals that keep the process of stipend revision moving without hindering groups.
ASUO President Adam Petkun said he and Vice President Mena Ravassipour have done “a really good job listening to as many people as possible” and forming their own opinion about it. He said the Executive is sensitive to the effects of cuts on groups’ leaders but also is concerned about rising incidental fees.
Petkun added that he has some “discomfort over the idea” that refunding all the cut money would put the PFC budget over the 7 percent maximum increase allowed by the Green Tape Notebook.
He called the pay changes “a positive step toward a more sensible stipend model” but said the model will need more revision next year. He said he wouldn’t like to see the model revert to last year’s because of all the work put into the model this year.
Myers said the petition arose from a letter MCC members are writing to Frohnmayer asking him to consider whatever the Senate decides. The letter also states that groups support full reinstatement of funds, he said. Other groups’ leaders will be encouraged to sign it.
Myers also said he knows at least one group will split whatever money it receives among its leaders, even if that means sharing the money after it has passed through the ASUO’s controllers.
The PFC made its decision without enough input from student groups, Myers said, adding that he doesn’t know how much contact senators have made with group representatives about this decision.
“I think that’s a big concern,” he said. “I honestly don’t know if the Senate’s gone out and tried to solicit opinions from other groups or not. I’d hope that they’d at least go and talk to groups.”
Senator Jack Crocifisso said senators have contacted groups on an individual level. He said he thinks many senators favor the second option, but “any resistance” rises from the ramifications of Frohnmayer’s letter this summer.
Myers said there is concern that momentum for a relief committee would wane because of turnover among senators next year, making the third option less viable.

[email protected]