The ASUO Programs Finance Committee, which is spending
this term determining student groups’ budgets for 2006-07, increased its own budget by nearly 15 percent Friday night. The budget primarily consists of stipends for the committee members.
“It’s a super group and I hope you support it,” PFC member Adam Turcott said, concluding his presentation to his colleagues.
PFC member Kristin Kato suggested adding a food account to the group’s budget.
“You know, our meetings are kind of like programs,” Kato said. “It’s open to everyone. People can come to it.”
PFC member Scott Lu said this would not be appropriate because the food would probably be eaten by only PFC members.
ASUO Controller Carie Henderson said PFC should have a fundraiser, such as a bake sale, to fund a food account.
“That way, when you tell groups to use fundraising more appropriately, you won’t be hypocrites,” Henderson said.
The group also decided to discontinue funds for a PFC phone line. Some members said they preferred to use their cell phones, while others said they didn’t want their personal numbers to be publicly available.
The group decided against the food account and passed a budget of $8,519 – an increase of 14.33 percent – by a vote of 3-2-2.
PFC Chairman Jared Axelrod said about 90 percent of the increases went to stipends.
After nearly two hours of debate, the PFC increased the ASUO Women’s Center’s budget by 3.85 percent to $152,419 – $10,380 more than the ASUO Executive recommended.
One debated issue was funding for a stipend for a Global Feminist Issues coordinator position, which was not included in the executive recommendation. Josephine Davis has filled this position as an unpaid volunteer this year, but the center’s other 10 student coordinators receive stipends, Office Coordinator Meg Krugel said.
PFC member Erica Anderson moved to add a $1,000 stipend for the position to the budget, and the motion passed.
“I think the Women’s Center is doing what we ask all programs to do – cutting stipends and payroll and increasing programming,” Anderson said. “They need our help.”
Pit Crew received $445, a decrease of 70.15 percent from this year. The group distributes T-shirts provided by Nike and the athletic department to students. The shirts allow wearers to get into men’s basketball games 10 minutes early and sit in a reserved, courtside section. Most of the budget cuts came from the loss of stipends for group directors, but some PFC members also questioned the amount of money the group requested for advertising.
“I like the fact that they’re a student group,” Anderson said. “I don’t like that all we’re paying for is advertising.”
“Hell, I don’t care about basketball that much, but I knew when the T-shirt distribution was,” Turcott said.
Discussion regarding the National Association of Black Journalists was tabled because the group had its entire budget request allocated for lodging at a national conference, while funding local events out of pocket. Axelrod said he would help the group reorganize its budget and schedule a new hearing date.
The Nontraditional Student Union received the executive’s recommendation of $3,945, a 16.63 percent increase from this year.
OUTLAWs, an organization that studies the legal aspects of issues related to sexual orientation, received $7,217, a 14.19 percent increase from this year. The increase will primarily help group members go to the Lavender Law Conference next year.
OUTLAWs President Miranda Plummer said the University was better represented than any other law school in the country at the conference this year.
“The national recognition for the University of Oregon cannot be overstated,” Plummer said.
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