The ASUO Programs Finance Committee swayed from one extreme to another in awarding budgets for the 2003-04 school year at Monday night’s meeting, granting increases as great as 230.33 percent for some groups and cutting funding by as much as 61.49 percent for others.
The Native American Law Student Association was the big budget winner of the evening, taking away $991, a significant jump from their funding of $300 for the 2002-03 school year. However, the final funding increase was tiny compared with the original Executive Recommendation for the group — $5,035, a 1,578 percent increase. The committee was shocked after hearing the suggested budget and immediately launched into deliberations on how to cut down the monolithic increase.
The contributing factors for the huge budget boost were the addition of a telephone, a program director’s stipend and increased funding for events. NALSA representatives argued the group was desperate for an expanded budget because of its active role in organizing events, such as bringing in the Navajo Supreme Court this year. They added the group did not receive enough funds for 2002-03 and had to raise about $4,200 independently.
PFC was torn between the desire to reward NALSA for its fundraising efforts and the need to practice restraint, as it is only the second week of budget hearings and many programs are still waiting to get their cut from student incidental fees. Several PFC members said they weren’t comfortable granting such a substantial increase because 2002-03 was the group’s first year as an ASUO-funded program.
“We’re all saying that (an increase) is warranted, but the way that we work is on a little more of a glide path,” PFC Programs Appointee Joy Nair said.
However, PFC At-Large James Tilford argued that even though NALSA is new in terms of ASUO funding, the group has existed for several years. Despite limited evidence in the ledgers, Tilford said NALSA has shown it is fiscally responsible.
“The group has dealt with several issues, and they have been established for several years long before they came to ASUO for funding,” Tilford said.
In the end, PFC whittled down the first suggested budget of $5,035 to $991, which was still the largest funding increase any program has received thus far.
While NALSA enjoyed a hefty funding raise, the Minority Law Student Association’s budget plummeted to $620, a 61.49 percent decrease, a reflection of PFC’s decision to not fund the group’s payroll. MLSA was awarded program directors’ stipends for 2002-03, but the group hasn’t filled out payroll paperwork yet, so stipend checks have been piling up.
Beebee Tan, an ASUO programs controller, pointed out that the same issue came up at the group’s PFC budget hearing last year, where members said they would spend the money that they were given. Several committee members said they would support eliminating funding for the group’s payroll in 2003-04 because of MLSA’s failure to collect stipend checks.
The budget hearing for the Oregon Voice had the highest attendance of the evening, with about a dozen group members at the meeting. All wore ties but most decided to forgo the traditional dress shirt and blazer, and instead wore ties over sweatshirts and T-shirts. Despite the odd juxtaposition, members of the Voice exuded an aura of professionalism as they faced PFC to fight for increased funding. The group asked for three large changes: a stipend for the position of layout director, an increase in press printing so they could produce nine issues next year and extra funding for program growth. Oregon Voice Editor-in-Chief Raechel Sims said the group forfeited everything in 2000 when all six staff members quit, and in the wake of being defunded, the group lost all its equipment, including a computer, fax machine and reference materials.
PFC members and members of the Voice debated past the allotted half hour for the budget hearing, but based on their efforts to rebuild the program, the committee decided to grant the group a budget of $8,864, a 26.27 percent increase.
The Muslim Student Association received $2,692, a 33.23 percent cut, at Monday’s meeting, because of inconsistent spending patterns for speakers, references and resources. In addition, the group didn’t spend any of their budgeted money for a telephone last year. The Executive Recommendation also suggested PFC not allocate money for an art exhibit, since no funding had been spent so far in the current year.
“They’ve been consistently over the last three budget years, rolling over about 50 percent of their budget,” Nair said. “This budget doesn’t reflect inactivity . . . They just don’t spend a lot of money.”
The other budget hearings were relatively free of controversy and proceeded smoothly and efficiently. The UO Pit Crew, a program focused on getting students excited and involved in men’s basketball, received $810, a 65.31 percent increase. Students of the Indian Subcontinent garnered a modest increase, bringing the group to $5,948, a 14.25 percent increase. Students for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, however, had a slight loss of funding when PFC gave them $774, a 7.42 percent decrease.
PFC did not hear three scheduled budget hearings Monday night: The Singapore Students Association failed to show up for their hearing and was zero-funded, while Students for Choice and PERMIAS’s hearings were tabled until further notice.