The ASUO Programs Finance Committee operated under a strict sense of frugality Saturday, decreasing every group’s budget for 2003-04 except for one.
The Oregon Commentator’s budget hearing was surprisingly free of controversy, despite the group’s funding decrease. Last year, a dispute erupted between the Commentator and PFC over the appropriateness of the group’s mission and goals statement. But relations between the Commentator and the committee seemed free of tension at Saturday’s meeting.
The group eased PFC members’ concerns about $500 in rollover that was caused by a late publication date for the paper.
Commentator Publisher Bret Jacobson said the group is fiscally responsible and fundraises to buy equipment so that student incidental fee money will only pay for the creation of the publication. This year, the group bought a new computer, laser printer and scanner with its fundraising revenue.
“We make sure that every dollar does go back directly into our product,” Jacobson said.
PFC members said they recognized the Commentator’s efforts to spend responsibly, and the committee decided to award the group with $15,066, a 0.38 percent decrease.
Representatives for the Native American Student Union asked PFC not to decrease the group’s funding for retention workshops, but their pleas were unsuccessful.
NASU Co-Director Brent Spencer said organizing retention workshops is one of the group’s most important endeavors because of the University’s small number of American Indian students. He said the group had already offered funding cuts to the committee in the hopes that PFC would grant increases for the line items NASU felt were most valuable.
ASUO Multicultural Co-Advocate Maddy Melton argued in favor of PFC giving NASU the requested funding.
“I think it’s extremely admirable that our students’ unions are doing jobs that the administration should be doing,” Melton said.
However, PFC members said they did not feel comfortable increasing funding for NASU retention workshops because they had no previous itemization to validate their decision. The committee gave NASU a budget of $18,211, a 7.37 percent decrease.
The Multicultural Center, a hub for many student unions, was awarded $84,714, a 7.57 percent increase. MCC was the only group to receive an increase at Saturday’s meeting.
PFC heard an appeal by the Minority Law Student Association about two director positions the group said the committee should fund. PFC opted not to fund the positions at MLSA’s budget hearing because the directors hadn’t filled out payroll paperwork and weren’t collecting stipend checks. After
extended discussion, PFC agreed to fund one of the positions at $1,000 and allocated $30 for payroll
assessment.
PERMIAS, the Indonesian student group at the University, received a total budget of $4,054, a 4.95 percent decrease.
Three other groups were scheduled to have their budgets approved by the committee on Saturday. The Philosophy Club failed to show up to its hearing, which resulted in PFC deciding not to fund its budget. Parents Attending Law School and the Pre-Veterinary Club did not submit budgets for 2003-04, and both groups were defunded.

See also related article:
“Most groups lose out at Thursday’s PFC meeting”