The Student Senate approved the EMU Board of Directors’ student incidental fee budget proposal Wednesday night at $3,245,160 for the 2003-04 school year, a 7 percent increase.
Chairwoman Christa Shively presented the board’s budget proposal and said that increases in the programs’ budgets were focused in salaries, other payroll expenses and the inclusion of a new budget for Equipment Reserve.
Seven budgets were funded to maintain current service levels — University Scheduling, the EMU Ticket Office, EMU Event Services, the Craft Center, the Child Care and Development Center, Club Sports and the Outdoor Program.
Four EMU program budgets were given line item modifications to allow the board to fund growth for a staff position in the Cultural Forum — EMU Administration, EMU Facilities, the EMU Board and the Cultural Forum.
The Community Internship Program brought a grievance before the senate, but ombudsman Andy Elliott said the complaint lays outside the senate’s jurisdiction. A representative for CIP brought to light the fact that two people from the program’s office were not receiving stipends because of an accounting error made by last year’s ASUO Programs Finance Committee. Senate members said they were concerned about CIP’s grievance, but Elliott said they did not have the authority to act on the complaint. Instead, the senate recommended that CIP speak with ASUO Accounting Coordinator Jennifer Creighton.
The senate voted on five special requests Wednesday night.
PFC received its request of $69 to cover deficits in the committee’s long distance and printing and duplication line items.
The senate voted to give the Women’s Center a loan of $6,000 to help the group fund Lesbopalooza, with up to $1,500 of that loan being forgivable. Representatives from the group said they engaged in several fundraising events to help fund Lesbopalooza before going to senate. Representatives for the group also said they expect to make at least $4,800 from ticket sales for Lesbopalooza, and they were confident they will be able to pay back the $6,000 loan by April 15.
The African Student Association appeared before the senate to ask for several hundred dollars to help finance a dance party they were planning. However, ASA was zero-funded for the current school year, and the senate had already given the group $300 to help members get the program back on its feet. In addition, more than $200 remained in the group’s fundraising account, so the senate voted to only transfer $50 to ASA’s printing and duplication line item.
In the final special request of the evening, senate voted to transfer $350 from an October conference account to a March conference account for the Oregon Law Students Public Interest Fund.