After several failed attempts, the EMU Board of Directors Budget Committee succeeded Monday in hammering out a budget for 2003-04.
The committee arrived Monday evening with a $4,204 budgetary hole to fill, after deadlocking about the funding for a full-time UO Cultural Forum staff position at a Jan. 21 meeting. Committee members expressed the desire to avoid further cuts in student programming, saying repeatedly that they were “not comfortable” doing so. They were also careful to avoid the appearance of cutting some programs and services at the expense of others, and praised individual budget managers’ efforts in providing plans to decrease their own spending.
“I think we’re so close,” Shively said at the outset of a debate that would last more than two hours. Suggestions for cuts were varied, and ranged from serious to minute. Suggestions included proposals to decrease work study spending, reduce circulation of the EMU Board newsletter and to eliminate the as yet unused budget for the board’s retreat.
In the end, the committee was able to reach its controversial goal of funding the 12-month, three-quarters full time position. It reached the necessary $13,204 by combining already-approved cuts of $2,000 from the Global Marketing budget, $2,500 from work study hires, $1,000 from the Cultural Forum’s employee development and travel and $3,500 from Club Sports, with new cuts of $1,000 from the EMU Utilities Budget, $1,375 from Waste Disposal and $1,549 from the Cultural Forum’s budget for supplies, services and operation of The Daily Grind.
The committee also cut the budget for its own retreat. The motion to approve and fund the position passed by a narrow 4-3 margin, but the budget was approved by unanimous vote shortly afterwards.
The budget must now be brought before the entire EMU Board of Directors and eventually before the Student Senate for its approval.
The committee also discussed expanding the EMU’s equipment rental services by opening paid rentals to the general public, thus making the rentals a revenue-generating program. Committee members also decided to refer this proposal to the full board, which meets Feb. 5.
Slade Leeson is a freelance writer for the Emerald.
EMU board avoids further cuts in new budget
Daily Emerald
January 28, 2003
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