The ASUO Student Senate will vote on 17 ideas for how to spend $200,000 of your student fee money at tonight’s Senate meeting. Although these special requests are not out of the ordinary, the method through which the ideas were gathered strays from the beaten path. All the requests were generated within three weeks, extraordinarily hastily for the process, and they were all collected by ASUO President Sam Dotters-Katz.
Moreover, the large volume of requests and the amount being allocated is unusual for this time of year.
The proposals range from a $25,000 Blue Scholars Concert to a $1,300 paid staff position at the Multicultural Center, and any ideas that don’t get approved tonight are dead in the water.
The Senate meeting takes place in the EMU Board Room tonight at 7 p.m.
Proposal BreakdownAlternative Spring Break Program: Service Learning Center Funds requesting: $10,000 – 4.8 percent of total funds The Service Learning Program would create two alternative spring break programs for 24 students and six student facilitators, sending them to San Francisco and San Diego/Tijuana to participate in various non-profit volunteer and service work. DPS Legal Seminar Program: ASUO Executive Funds requesting: $5,425 – 2.6% Sixteen seminars at the University Law School that would train DPS officers on a variety of legal issues, including alcohol and controlled substance offenses, theft, and interview skills. All seminars open and free to students. Queer Ally Coalition Campaign Program: ASUO Executive/LGBTQESSP (Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Queer Educational Support Services Program) Funds Requested: $12,800 – 6.2% A student run, three-part (education, marketing, events) campaign intended to increase student awareness while addressing the needs of queer students on campus. Halloween Weekend 2008 Program: ASUO Executive Funds Requested: $12,691 (events) /$8,575 (food) – 10.3% An alternative party for students on Friday, Oct. 31, in the EMU Ballroom, with the football game against UCLA broadcast at Hayward Field the following day, and extended Student Rec Center hours and activities that evening. VFSA Communications Center Program: Veterans and Family Student Association Funds Requested: $5,408 – 2.6% A permanent Communications Center located in the VFSA office for telecommunication with family and friends in the armed forces. Why We Rage Program: ASUO Executive Funds Requested: $10,000 – 4.8% A witness theater event in which underrepresented students, (non-traditional, LGBTQ, ethnic-minority and others) tell their stories. Funds would pay for a professional drama mentor to aid the students in their performances, as well as the event itself. Blue Scholars Concert Program: ASUO Executive Funds Requested: $25,475 – 12.3% A free student concert on Friday, May 15, featuring the Seattle-based alternative hip-hop group Blue Scholars. The concert would be hosted on the Quad between the Knight Library and Lillis. Greg Mortenson Program: ASUO Executive Funds Requested: $30,000 – 14.5% Author of the New York Times bestselling book “Three Cups of Tea,” Greg Mortenson would speak at an educational and cultural benefit that would be free for students. Mortenson’s $20,000 fee is an honorarium that goes to the non-profit organizations Central Asia Institute and Pennies for Peace. Alpha Phi Omega National Convention Program: APO Funds Requested: $6,594 – 3.2% The Zeta Psi chapter of the Alpha Phi Omega coed service fraternity would send interested members to the APO National Convention. Excess funds would be used as scholarships to aid additional APO members. New York Times Program: ASUO Executive Funds Requested: $25,000 – 12.1% Funding for daily distribution of 600 copies of The New York Times to be available for free throughout the University campus. The package includes an on-campus speaking event with a New York Times writer or editor at no charge. Northwest Institute for Community Energy Program: Survival Center Funds Requested: $13,000 – 6.3% The Survival center would send four students to the annual NICE conference in summer 2009. The conference will focus on creating a community-supported sustainability project in Eugene or Springfield. Play to Save Carnival Program: Interfraternity Council / Panhellenic Council Funds Requested: $6,990 Each – 6.7% A large on-campus carnival would be hosted by Greek Life. Thrown simultaneously with the ASUO Street Faire, it’s intended to allow ASUO and Greek Life to coordinate on a large scale event while engaging the greater student body. Native American Student Union Mother’s Day Pow Wow drum groups Program: NASU Funds Requested: $16,050 – 7.7% Two drum groups, Perfect Storm and Blacklodge, would perform at the annual NASU Mother’s Day Pow Wow. The groups represent different generations of Native American drummers. MULTICULTURAL CENTER PROPOSALS Program: MCC Funds Requested: $11,900 – 5.7% Three proposals: One student employee position for the MCC, a 50-inch television, and a concert featuring hip-hop duo X-Vandals. |
Where the money came from
The over-realized fund is composed of excess funds from the Incidental Fee, a $195 fee that all students pay each term. Through the ASUO, the Incidental Fee finances various student programs and activities across campus. In essence, the money student groups spend this year came from last year’s student fees.
Usually, more students than projected attend the University, so there is excess revenue from the $195 fee. That “over-realized” fund has been nearly as high as $800,000 in past years, and it can be compounded over time if student leaders choose to save it for a rainy day.
If student leaders spend that money, they typically take idea proposals during winter and spring terms. An ASUO Senate committee takes the proposals, makes a recommendation, and the Senate eventually votes on how to spend the over-realized funds. It’s a hectic process that causes many student groups to scramble for their piece of the pie.
Usually, the ASUO spends almost all of the over-realized funds using this method.
But not last year.
In early September, ASUO President Sam Dotters-Katz spoke with Jean Sun, business manager of the EMU, who told him there was $138,017 left over. Just more than $64,000 was added to this from the unapproved BWA Hair Show, leaving more than $200,000 of over-realized funds from 2007-08. In order to be processed in time for this academic year, proposals had to be submitted by Sept. 26.
Instead of letting the money roll over into next year’s funds, Dotters-Katz decided to take the final three weeks of summer to drum up spending ideas.
Coming up with ideas
Dotters-Katz talked to dozens of student groups and asked if they had ideas for how to spend the money.
“I immediately began talking to as many group leaders as I could find in the EMU at the time,” said Dotters-Katz. “It was hard because it was the end of the summer, nobody was around.”
He acquired 17 proposals before the Sept. 26 deadline, some of which were entirely the ideas of student groups; others, such as the Blue Scholars concert, were almost entirely his work.
Despite the speed at which the proposals were generated, there hasn’t been any noticeable animosity.
“My concern isn’t how fast the proposals came to us, my concern is that we won’t have time to address the proposals and we’ll just end up passing them all,” said ASUO Senator Nick Gower.
The Wednesday meeting is expected to last well beyond its regularly scheduled 11 p.m. ending, and the length could put extra stress on the senators involved.
“We’re prepared to deal with the am
ount of special requests,” said ASUO Senator Jordan Schenck. “But it’s going to be a challenge.”
The extra money must be spent before June 15, or it rolls over into next year’s over-realized fund.
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