Sen. Mary Elizabeth Madden took a hard line Wednesday, as she prevented more than $2,000 from leaving the general surplus.
A number of students plan to attend a protest against the Free Trade Area of the Americas in San Diego this weekend. Oona Holcomb, a member of the Survival Center, asked the student senate to help cover travel expenses.
Madden, upon examining the Survival Center’s account information, pointed out there were a lot of places where the group had extra money that did not seem to be in use. She suggested transferring funds from those areas rather than providing for the entire special request through the surplus.
Specifically, Madden wanted to take money from the group’s Earth Week fund.
But Holcomb said it was not in her jurisdiction to touch that area of the budget because the Survival Center is split up into several different authorities, each of which governs a different segment of the budget.
ASUO Vice President Holly Magner agreed, and Sen. Katie Howard said she didn’t think the senate should consider draining funds from a project that is still going on. Earth Day is this weekend.
But Madden asked if the group planned to spend much more on Earth Week celebrations.
“To be honest, probably not,” Holcomb said. “But at the same time I’m not supposed to use it … I don’t want to be stepping on the toes of anyone.”
The senate eventually decided to give the Survival Center $700 from the surplus, and to transfer the additional funds from within the group’s budget. A five-minute recess to figure out the specifics ended, however, when a representative from the Women’s Law Forum suddenly announced her group would offer the Survival Center a co-sponsorship for the event.
Madden subjected the Designated Driver Shuttle to similar scrutiny.
“We are out of gas money,” said Jeff Salchenberg, co-director for DDS. “There’s really not much to it.”
Madden asked Salchenberg about $6,000 resting in the group’s maintenance fund, and suggested transferring money from the group’s own funds rather than taking it from the general surplus.
But Sen. Tex Arnold hesitated on moving money out of the group’s maintenance fund.
“What if something breaks down?” he asked the senate. “Cars don’t run forever.”
Madden said if that were the case, the group could come and ask for more money.
And many senators seemed to agree. In a unanimous decision, the senate voted to move $1,800 from DDS’s maintenance fund to pay for gas, and avoided dipping even further into surplus.