“I think I can hear crickets,” ASUO President Adam Petkun said during one of the lengthy pauses during last Thursday’s Programs Finance
Committee hearings.
It was relatively quiet for the PFC, to say the least, as the budgets of six groups were approved.
The meeting, however quiet, held an air of tension as the committee wrangled over the ASUO Executive’s six-figure budget for nearly an hour.
PFC Vice Chair Mason Quiroz criticized the budget for allotting more money for travel than for Weaving New Beginnings, an event meant to orientate racial minority students to the University.
“As you know, we have a problem with diversity,” Quiroz said. “You spend more on travel than you do on a multicultural event.”
But PFC Chair Persis Pohowalla quickly countered that Quiroz’s assessment was not viewpoint-neutral.
“That’s not viewpoint-neutral,” Pohowalla said. “You’re
judging content.”
ASUO Controller Mike Martell added that the executive actually “spends quite a bit of money on
multicultural events.”
The committee encountered another snag regarding two stipend positions for the International Career Network Committee. Sherman said the committee should be more judicious in allotting stipends, especially given the PFC’s dire financial situation.
“There really is no longer volunteerism in student government,” PFC member Mike Sherman said. “I don’t see why this committee can’t function without stipends.”
In the end, however, most members agreed that the amount of work the two positions entail warranted the stipends. The $305,250 budget was passed with Sherman as the lone dissenter, for a .14 percent decrease. The budget included $102,075 for the Oregon Student Association, a statewide lobbying group for students.
PFC member Jael Anker-Lagos commended the executive for tightening its budget in light of the
dire financial straits the PFC
is experiencing.
“I think the executive was very responsible for decreasing their budget,” she said.
The PFC also allotted $28,389 for the University Crisis Center for an impressive 15.76 percent. Student volunteers run the center and answer phone calls for students dealing with crises.
The Native American Student Union had its budget of $17,377
approved a 2.08 percent increase. The PFC was unable to come to a decision during NASU’s last hearing due to injunctions placed on three members.
The Young Women’s Christian Association received $7,178, a 2.03 percent increase. The increase includes additional money for the Race Against Racism, an event hosted by the group to raise consciousness about racism in the community.
Quiroz, who serves as the group’s racial justice coordinator, said he hopes the event will grow to the size of Eugene’s premier running events.
“It’s the only program that addresses racism directly,” he said. “This is an event that encapsulates the University.”
The Chinese Student Association had a stipend position reinstated for a budget of $9,029, a 16.73 percent increase, which also included additional funds for more programming,
The Spencer View Tenants’ Council, which lost its funding last year, received $248. The group has been hampered by a dearth of leadership, and the current group chair, Kristi Durant, is not a University student.
But Durant said the group maintains a lot of programming in spite of not having a budget.
“The programming is a way to get all the residents involved,” she said. “It really builds community.”
Sherman appeared apologetic for the group’s financial situation.
“Unfortunately, if we based the funding on how much you care, the cost would be exponential,” he said.
At the final hearing, for the Students of the Indian Subcontinent,
the group received the executive
recommendation of $7,062, a
slight increase.
“Well if you’re happy, I’m happy,” PFC member Khanh Le said before initiating the vote.
The East Campus Tenants Council, which failed to submit a budget, received no money.

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