Ideology weaved its way into the debate Wednesday night as the ASUO Student Senate decided whether to grant the EMU nearly $3,000 out of the general surplus.
The EMU asked the senate for $2,910 to cover increased insurance costs for all Oregon University System employees. The increase came five months earlier than expected, and the EMU has been absorbing the costs since February.
EMU Board member Christa Shively told the senate that the EMU is running deficits in many sections of its budget, so the money could not possibly come from other areas.
But Sen. Mary Elizabeth Madden said she was wary of granting the special request out of the surplus, which comes from the money that is left over in program budgets at the end of each year.
“I guess I have a slight philosophical problem with giving this money out of surplus,” Madden said.
Surplus money should go to Programs Finance Committee groups, she said, not the EMU.
Madden instead suggested the money be taken out of the overrealized account, which holds the extra incidental fee money from higher-than-expected University enrollment of past years.
Regardless of where the money comes from, Shively said, it’s important that the EMU get the extra funds it needs.
“I would urge you to take care of it now,” Shively said. “These are mandated increases, and we can’t get around them.”
The senate decided to table the issue until May 16 — the day it will consider all the other requests that ask for money out of the overrealized account, including another EMU request and the ASUO’s Bucks for Ducks decision.
In other business, the senate granted $3,784 to the Asian Pacific American Student Union for the upcoming Asian Heritage month — but only after it cleared out every other account in the group’s budget that was not being used.
Madden began asking the group about extra funds. As soon as she asked, the group volunteered to put those funds toward the heritage month, cutting its special request by $176.
The International Student Association also cleared out what remained in its library fund to help pay for this weekend’s International Night. As a result, it asked the senate for only $999 and not the $5,000 it needs.