The Programs Finance Committee allocated more student fees Monday in a meeting that included a struggle over the use of incidental fees to fund Lane Transit District bus passes and an attempt to reclassify the University Forensics Program as an EMU Club Sport.
University students are allowed unlimited rides on LTD buses for $10 per student, per term — the service is financed by incidental fees.
Andy Vobora, LTD’s service planning and marketing manager, said he initially wanted to increase the rate to $11.79, LTD’s current group-pass rate, but after talking with ASUO Finance Coordinator Mike Martell, he became willing to compromise at $11 per pass for next year and increase the rate the following year.
PFC Vice Chair Mason Quiroz said he was against raising the rates.
“We should be treated a little bit differently just because we do buy so many,” Quiroz said.
PFC member Jael Anker-Lagos spoke in favor of the bus
pass arrangement.
“I think that if students find out they’re paying $11 a term for this, they’d think that’s a great deal,”
she said.
The current rate for an adult three-month pass is $95.
“Yeah, it’s cheap, but maybe we won’t use it all,” Quiroz said, comparing the bus pass situation with buying a large jar of mayonnaise at Costco and saving money, but having some of the mayonnaise go bad before it is used. Quiroz questioned why all students must pay for a service that only about a fourth of students use. According to a two-day average count taken by LTD in November 2004, 3,551 people got off the bus at University stops each day.
“Like everything we fund, not every student is going to benefit, but they’ll have the opportunity to benefit,” PFC Chair Persis Pohowalla said.
Quiroz also raised questions about the confusing budget that had been presented to PFC.
“All these discrepancies make me a little hesitant to spend $650 (thousand) of student fees,” he said.
Quiroz made two unsuccessful motions to table the discussion on LTD. However, a budget of $639,700 — lower than the executive recommendation of $645,865, but still an increase of 9.68 percent — was approved by a 3-1-1 vote.
The University Forensics Program also faced debate over its budget. The program, which has been in existence since 1876, normally raises money by hosting speech and debate tournaments. The group has not hosted a tournament for the past three years due to administrative turnover, but a tournament is scheduled for October 2005.
Due to the competitive nature of speech and debate, Quiroz questioned whether the group met the ASUO’s criteria for programming.
“Sounds to me like you guys are a sport more than doing programming on campus,” Quiroz said. He suggested that the program become a Club Sport, because the majority of its budget is devoted to tournaments, transportation and lodging.
“The difference between this and
a program is that in a program,
everybody gets to go,” Quiroz said. “I don’t know how you guys wound up under the ASUO.”
Forensics Program assistant coach Aaron Donaldson said the program is part of a credited class and anyone can take the class, although not everyone who takes it travels to tournaments.
“There hasn’t been anybody this year that has asked to attend a tournament but has been unable to do so,” Donaldson said. He also said the program is working with Concerned Faculty for Peace and Justice to develop a series of free events regarding the War on Terrorism.
PFC member Eden Cortez suggested helping the forensics team find other funding rather than tabling the discussion. In the end, the group was awarded $31,929 with the expectation that it would find other sources of funding in the future.
The International Student Association received $23,914. The 10.2 percent increase is intended to help with the expenses of International Week and Night.
ASUO Child Care Subsidy’s budget of $233,656 passed with a 4-0-1 vote. Staff member Ben Strawn said the group helps student parents by reimbursing them up to 50 percent of their child-care expenses, depending on the gap between the parents’ income and expenses.
“They’re not asking for very much increase,” Quiroz said. “I think it’s just an incredible program.”
Ecological Design Center, a group primarily composed of students in the Architecture and Allied Arts school who are devoted to promoting sustainable architecture, received $22,066. The executive recommendation was $400 lower, but PFC member Khanh Le moved to add money for the group’s speaker series.
Eva Sylwester is a freelance reporter for the Daily Emerald