Senate passes PFC budget
During Wednesday’s ASUO Student Senate meeting, senators passed the Programs Finance Committee budget of $4,294,948 with a vote of 12-2. In opposing the measure, Sen. Andy Elliott said he did not think the Senate should simply accept the PFC’s decisions as accurate based on faith.
“In many PFC hearings with student groups, I did not think that viewpoint neutrality was implemented correctly or fairly,” he said.
Senate President Peter Watts said he would suggest that future finance committees scrutinize more equally.
“In the meetings that I attended, the PFC went through everything thoroughly for some groups and less thoroughly for other groups,” he said. “I just think that it is important to treat all groups as equals.”
Sen. Mary Elizabeth Madden said she believed the PFC’s questioning was fair because different situations require different levels of scrutiny, and the PFC gave more attention to student groups who had rollovers in their budgets or questionable current spending.
Before the PFC budget vote, senators denied the Oregon Daily Emerald’s request to hear its budget appeal. While nine senators voted in favor, 12 votes, or two-thirds of all filled Senate seats, were required for passage.
Madden said according to Senate Rule 9.11, the Senate would be violating ASUO laws if it heard the appeal because the Emerald had not exhausted all three of its appeals.
Watts disagreed and said the Emerald should have a chance to present its appeal.
“They have the ability to come to the Senate, and they should be heard,” he said.
After the first appeal process, the Emerald requested a one-day extension to submit another appeal. The PFC voted against granting this extension and did not hear the second appeal.
Elliott said the Emerald requested the minutes from last year’s PFC meeting on Wednesday afternoon and did not receive those minutes until 5 p.m. because the ASUO could not locate the minutes quickly.
In other business, the Senate, on a 7-8 vote, denied Campus Recycling’s request for $4,500 to help pay for a recycling effort for the Folk Festival on campus. Campus Recycling plans to use plastic plates and forks at the three-day festival.
“The Senate is supposed to be the last resort for receiving funds,” Sen. Katie Howard said. “I would like to see them do some fundraising.”
The Senate voted 10-5 to give Club Sports Dance Team $4,550 from surplus money for a trip to nationals in Daytona, Florida. They voted 14-1 to move $431,874 from the overrealized account to equipment replacement reserve for the EMU as well as $190,745 from the overrealized account to the building repair reserve. The Senate approved ASUO’s request to move 118,069 from the overrealized account to the programs and assessment reserve with a 13-2 vote.

— Danielle Gillespie

Black Student Union holds

educational meeting
When most people think of prominent African American leaders, Martin Luther King Jr. may be the first to come to mind, with Malcolm X a close second. Tonight, the Black Student Union wants to creatively educate people about lesser known historical figures.
“We’re trying to pay tribute to unsung heroes,” BSU co-director Haben Woldu said. “There are a lot of leaders (during the Civil Rights movement) at the grassroots level that actually ran the voting campaigns, spoke to the African American Community and conducted the freedom rides.”
The BSU acting troop will act out the leaders’ stories with monologues and skits at 7 p.m. in the EMU Gumwood room. BSU members will be portraying leaders such as Diane Nash, Ella Fitzgerald, and Fannie Lou Hamer.
BSU member Mohammed Jalloh will be acting out political leader Marcus Garvey, an organizer of the worldwide Pan-African movement to move Africans outside Africa back to their home country, he said.

— Diane Huber

Eugene mayor appoints

temporary city manager
Eugene Mayor Jim Torrey named Jim Carlson as the protem Eugene City Manager on Wednesday.
As protem city manager, Carlson will act in a temporary capacity until the Eugene City Council selects a permanent replacement, which may not get underway until this summer. Carlson is currently the assistant for outgoing city manager Jim Johnson, who is leaving Thursday.
Johnson announced his resignation in November.
“Carlson has a broad spectrum of experience that I feel will give him the necessary background to serve as city manager,” Torrey said.

— Katie Ellis

Committee looking to fill new student affairs position
Members of a search committee are seeking student advice on who should be the first University vice president for student affairs.
Today at 4 p.m., search committee members will be in the Multicultural Center to ask students what qualities they should look for when deciding who should fill this powerful new position.
The vice president for student affairs will oversee Associate Vice President for Student Affairs Anne Leavitt and Associate Vice President for Enrollment Services Jim Buch.
Office of Student Life Director Laura Blake Jones said the position was created to unify and coordinate the departments within the Division of Student Affairs.

— Kara Cogswell